


The Most Unlikely Soulmate

by seeleyboothfan



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2014-01-21
Packaged: 2018-01-09 14:10:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 34
Words: 40,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1146909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seeleyboothfan/pseuds/seeleyboothfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmates!Klaine AU - Kurt Hummel hates Blaine Anderson with every fiber of his being. What happens when he gets the name of his soulmate and it's one Mr. Blaine Anderson?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  
_Lady Fate creating disaster_   


_But she ain't the boss of me_

I hate Blaine Anderson. I've hated him since First Grade when the bigger kids trapped me on top of the play structure and Blaine looked the other way. I've hated him for everything he's succeeded in that I've wanted to achieve. And I hated him most when, on my branding day, his stupid name appeared on the skin of my thigh.


	2. Chapter 2

Cooper had never told Blaine or that side of the family the true story about his soulmate and his new family. He'd let them assume that Sarah had died before he'd gotten the chance to meet her and that was certainly not true.

The day Cooper had been marked with Sarah Pietruszewski's name, he'd been sad. He didn't know anyone by that name in his school or hometown. He'd gone to the Public Library and looked through the records, finally finding a girl with that name who lived two towns over and she was 17. He'd packed up his school bag and took the bus over, walking to the address listed in the phone book.

His hands had shook after he'd knocked at the front door, nervous and excited about meeting his soulmate. An exhausted looking man answered the door. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for a girl named Sarah Pietruszewski. Does she live here?"

"She did," the man commented, his face falling.

"Did she move?"

The man shook his head. "Why do you ask?"

Cooper bit his lip. "She's my soulmate. I'm Cooper Anderson. I'm just trying to find her."

The man looked crestfallen. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this. She's in the hospital just up the road. She doesn't have much longer."

Cooper paused, working through what he was saying. "Are you saying she's dying?"

The man nodded, scratching his neck. "She has leukemia."

"Can I- can I go see her?"

The man looked Cooper up and down before slowly nodding. "Sure. I'll take you myself." The drive to the hospital was silent, Cooper fidgeting with his school bag. They quickly made their way up to the 3rd floor, the Children's Ward, and paused outside room 315. The man clapped Cooper on the shoulder and marched him inside.

A girl whom Cooper assumed to be Sarah was laying on a lone hospital bed in the room, flowers surrounding her on every available surface. She looked like she was just waking up, reaching up slowly to move her stringy blond hair out of her blue eyes, dulled by sickness and exhaustion. Her skin was pallid and she was hooked up to at least five machines. "Daddy?" She paused when she saw Cooper standing there. "Hello, who are you?"

"Hi sweetie, this is Cooper Anderson."

The girl's eyes widened in recognition and her hand went to her neck where Cooper saw that his name was written. "It's really you."

Cooper nodded and couldn't help but smile. "Hi, Sarah." He stepped closer to her, reaching out and taking her hand in his. He held up his ankle and pulled up his pant leg, showing her his mark. "I assume this is you?"

She nodded, reaching out and stroking the mark. "I always wondered what you looked like." She sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't look you up. I figured finding out your soulmate was dying would be kind of a drag. It wouldn't help that I sort of look like a zombie now, not the most attractive of soulmates, I guess."

Cooper shook his head. "You're beautiful," he whispered, reaching out and fingering a lock of hair that was resting on her shoulder.

Sarah blinked, tears quickly pooling in her eyes. Her father coughed into his hand behind her, rubbing at his eyes. "You're very sweet, Cooper. I'm just sorry I won't be able to get to know you any better."

"You will, though. I'll come up here every weekend and we'll just sit and talk and then when you get better, I'll take you out to dinner and a movie and-"

"I'm dying, Cooper." Her tone was serious and she pulled her hand out of his. "This is why I didn't want to find you. I didn't want you to meet me and then lose me. I didn't want to have one more person in my life I'd have to say goodbye to."

Cooper grabbed her hand again, feeling his eyes prick with tears. "There has to be some way I can fix this. Can I donate something or give blood or a kidney or-"

"It's too late for me. There's nothing more they can do for me."

"This isn't fair," Cooper sniffled. "You're so beautiful and sweet and everything I had hoped for in a soulmate. Why would they pick you and then take you away?"

"I don't know." Sarah reached up and stroked her hand down Cooper's cheek. "I'm glad they chose you. You have such kind eyes and I love your curls." She fingered a strand of hair hanging down Cooper's temple.

Cooper leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. "I promise that I will be here for you as long I can. You are my soulmate and I'm going to care for you for as long as I live. For forever, even." He leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Forever," Sarah responded, a smile fluttering to her face, her hand falling to the bed. Cooper was nearly bowled over at the rush of warmth that filled him.

They spent the rest of the day holding hands and talking about their lives. Eventually visiting hours were over. Sarah's Dad, Peter, invited Cooper to dinner and offered to let him spend the night so that he could visit with Sarah the next day. Cooper called his Mom and let her know what was happening and she said he could stay as long as he wanted.

During the night, Cooper was woken by the shrill ringing of the house phone. His ankle tingled where Sarah's name was etched. He scratched at it, frowning before bolting upright in bed and making his way to the kitchen were Peter was sitting with his head in his hands, softly sobbing. Peter looked up when Cooper entered holding open his arms and pulling Cooper into a hug. "I'm so sorry, kid."

Cooper broke down, feeling like he had a piece of him missing, a piece he hadn't even known about before yesterday. There was a dull ache where his mark rested, and he rested his face into Peter's neck, letting tears stream down his face.

"She passed a few minutes ago, the doctor said. They said it was peaceful."

Cooper nodded, rubbing his nose on his sleeve.

"They said we could go tomorrow morning and say goodbye. Would you like to join me?"

Cooper shook his head. "This is family time, I don't want to be in the way."

Peter looked up at him, a small light in his eye. "As far as I'm concerned, you're family, kid."

Cooper whimpered, falling back into Peter's arms. They stayed latched onto each other for a long time, finally pulling apart to clean themselves up and sit down to drink something warm before bundling up and making their way to the hospital.

Once they were there Cooper was introduced to Sarah's sister, Alex and her brother, Neal. He said his goodbye to Sarah, stroking at her mark and kissing one last time.

Over the years, Cooper would visit Sarah's family on all the major holidays and he'd eventually call Peter his father and Neal and Alex his brother and sister. His own family wasn't nearly as close knit as Sarah's so he always spent more time with them.

When his own brother found his soulmate and ruined their relationship, Cooper never forgave them. He'd have given anything to spend just one more day with his soulmate and here his brother was taking it for granted. When his brother got sent to rehab, Cooper took Blaine in. Blaine had been dropped off at his house at only 8 years old, confused and scared. He'd done everything he could to be the type of father to Blaine that Peter was to him.

Many more years down the road, long after Blaine was married and creating his own life with his soulmate, Cooper met Elizabeth, a woman whom had lost her soulmate at a young age as well. They fell in love and married and spent the rest of their lives together, happy and very much in love.


	3. Chapter 3

Blaine Anderson and Kurt Hummel never shared classes during elementary school, but Kurt had always known who Blaine was. He was the adorable curly haired boy who offered Kurt his apple and half his sandwich when he realized that Kurt's Daddy had forgotten to pack his lunch. Kurt's Daddy forgot a lot of things after his Mommy died. His Daddy also didn't know how to tie his shoes right and he picked out clothes that didn't match. Kurt cried a lot, but he hid it from his Daddy. He knew how sad he was, so he didn't want to make him any more sad. His Daddy cried when he thought Kurt wasn't watching, but Kurt never told him he saw.

Blaine was the most beautiful boy Kurt had ever seen and he was so sweet, offering part of his lunch. Kurt never forgot that day. He thought they'd be best friends forever, but it was not to be. The other boys in Kurt's grade didn't like him very much. They said he sounded like a girl and thought his clothes were ugly. They liked pushing Kurt down and calling him names. Blaine always stayed away from Kurt on those days, eying him from across the playground but never coming to his aid. Kurt even called out his name one day when the boys wouldn't let him down from the monkey bars. Kurt was so very scared of heights but Davey, the biggest boy in school, forced him to climb up and stood underneath so that he couldn't climb back down. Kurt had started sobbing, screeching out for someone to help. He spotted Blaine on the swings and they even made eye contact, but when Kurt cried out his name, Blaine turned his head and walked off to the see saws across the playground. Kurt's little heart broke into pieces and he gave up hope in having any friends at this school.

The rest of the time in elementary school, Kurt and Blaine had nothing to do with each other. Kurt became a shell of himself, hiding out during recess and staying silent in class, trying to be as invisible as possible. When Kurt was in 8th grade, he had his first class with Blaine, someone whom he hadn't thought of in years. Blaine was the type of boy who was a straight A student, beloved by everyone in the school, and he still would have nothing to do with Kurt. When he was forced to interact with him for class projects, he would give one word responses and not engage him at all. Kurt's anger from so long ago came back to life and it started bubbling into something close to hate.

Freshman year, things only got worse and Kurt finally grew to hate him. Blaine got the lead role in West Side Story over Kurt, he got all the solos in Glee, and he got to be in student council as the freshman representative. Nothing Kurt did was near that level that Blaine achieved, and Kurt was about ready to stop trying. It didn't help that Blaine continued to blossom and had become the hottest guy in school. Kurt hated himself almost as much as he hated Blaine because he could feel stirrings of attraction to the bastard who wouldn't even give him the time of day.

The Sophomores were abuzz on February 4th, the day before Branding Day. Everyone knew the stories – the morning of February 5th, all those people who were 16 would wake up to find the name of his or her soulmate scoured somewhere on their body. From that moment onward, it was your responsibility to locate said person and work towards making a life together. Many people were lucky enough to be marked with the name of someone they already knew, some people were marked with the name of someone they'd meet later in life, and some people were unlucky in getting marked with a name of someone whom they would never meet due to circumstances beyond their control.

Kurt, whom has turned 16 that previous May, was bubbling with excitement, anxious to find out the name of the person ( _please, dear god, let it be a boy_ ) who would be his perfect match, the person who he would spend the rest of his life with, and preferably, someone he already knew, so that he could start the rest of his life right away. He listened in as the students around him discussed who they thought they'd be marked with. General consensus was for Blaine Anderson or Quinn Fabray, depending on your gender or sexuality. Kurt hoped that whoever was marked with his name would not be disappointed.

Kurt cycled through the names of the boys who were gay like him, trying to determine who he'd like to date. He skipped past the Juniors and Seniors – if they were his soulmate, they would have searched him out by now. He went instead through the boys his age and younger. He narrowed his choices down to three: Chandler, Sebastian, and Adam. Chandler was a sweet boy; he was a freshman who tended to follow Kurt around like a puppy dog, asking opinions on clothes and music as if Kurt held all the answers. It was slightly annoying, but Kurt preened at the praise. Sebastian, a sophomore like Kurt, was the exact opposite; he was egotistical and rude but so much fun to banter with. He was one of the few guys who could keep up with Kurt in wits and it was fun to try and rile him up. Adam was a mix of the two; he was also a sophomore, but was mature enough that he could pass as a senior. He was always well put together and had the ability to make Kurt blush with the compliments he gifted him with as often as he could. He was quite clingy and bristled when Kurt wasn't available at any given moment, which was really annoying.

Kurt sighed. It was pointless trying to guess – he would wake up and have a name on his body that would direct him towards the person who was best for him and he'd have no say in the matter. He took extra time in the shower that night, cleaning himself up and using his best shampoo and lotion; he may just meet the love of his life tomorrow, so he needed to be look better than he ever had before.

He curled himself up in his coziest pajamas and turned off the lamp on his bedside table, bidding his Dad goodnight and smiling at his " _Big day tomorrow, eh, Kurt?_ " and struggling to fall asleep. His dreams were full of a faceless boy who held out his arms to Kurt. As soon as Kurt tried to reach out and hug the boy back, he was jarred awake by his alarm blaring.

He blinked his eyes open slowly, adjusting to the light filtering in through the window. It took him a full minute to remember what day it was. As soon as it clicked, he flew out of bed, ripping his clothes off as quickly as he could, circling around himself and trying to locate the name of his soulmate. He scanned up and down his arms and over his chest, up and down his legs until he spotted a dark patch near the back of his inner thigh. He flopped down on the bed and pulled his leg up, leaning towards the spot to read the name.

_Blaine Anderson_

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."


	4. Chapter 4

Kurt reached out and scrubbed at the name on his leg, hoping against hope that it would disappear. The only thing that happened was that the skin around the name turned bright red. "No, this can't – it's not –  _he's_  not – we're not – ugh, no-" Kurt grumbled, arms crossed over his chest and glaring at the name on his leg.

"Kurt, it's time for school," his Dad said, peeking his head into the room. He frowned when he saw Kurt's expression. "Everything okay, bud?"

Kurt shook his head, his face falling. "The most awful thing happened." He pointed at his leg. Burt stepped into the room, asking with a questioning glance if he could look at the name.

"'Blaine Anderson?' You know him?" Burt asked.

"Yeah, and I hate him," Kurt groaned, falling back into his bed. "How did this happen?"

Burt sat down next to him and ran a hand through his hair. "Hate's a pretty strong emotion, Kurt."

"He's one of those people who sees the bullying and looks the other way, even if I ask him directly for help. He treats me like I have the plague, like he'll catch the loserness from me. Every time I want something and I work so hard to achieve it, he gets it handed to him on a silver platter. He's a privileged porcelain bird who can't even look at those beneath him." Kurt's chest heaved as he felt his blood boil. "Worst of all, he's the most gorgeous guy in school with a voice like honey and eyes the color of milk chocolate."

"So he's not the nicest of guys, you're saying?"

"He's the worst."

"Maybe you could be a good influence on him? Sounds like you already are attracted to him, that's half the battle."

"But he obviously has no feelings for me. If he did, he would at least try to interact with me." Kurt remembered a project he'd done for history class, where he did some research into soulmates who were of not of like sexuality. Those people found a best friend and partner who helped them get through life without loneliness, but they never found a romance. Kurt had found that so tragic and hoped that that fate wouldn't befall him. He glanced down ruefully at the name on his inner thigh and frowned – apparently that was exactly what he was getting. A loveless life with a bastard that he couldn't even stand to be in the same room with.

"Maybe things will change now that you have his name?" Burt offered. "Try to keep an open mind, son."

"I'll try." Kurt sat up and walked over to his closet to grab his clothes for the day. He had no desire to look his best now that he knew who his soulmate was. Kurt was never one to ignore fashion, though. He pulled out his tightest pair of jeans and paired it with his favorite shirt.

He was just finishing coiffing his hair when his Dad honked the horn in the drive way. Kurt sighed, checking his reflection one last time before grabbing his bag.

The ride to school was silent, Kurt rubbing absently at his thigh where Blaine's name now laid. He knew he didn't have the greatest luck, but the name of his biggest enemy appearing on his body showed that his already sucky life was continuing to go downhill.  _Just my luck_  Kurt grumbled.

He hugged his Dad before exiting the car. "Remember, open mind, Kurt."

"Yeah, yeah." He hitched his bag higher on his shoulder. Just as he was about to enter the doors to the school, someone ran into his shoulder, nearly knocking his head into the door. He turned to glare at the offender and was confronted with the chocolatey eyes of none of than Blaine Anderson.

His breath caught in his throat and his jaw dropped, trying to come up with something to say. It was in vain; Blaine simply narrowed his eyes at Kurt and continued walking, not offering an apology for nearly ramming him into the door.

"Kurt! Hey, Kurt!" Kurt turned to see Rachel running toward him. "I got my name!" She pulled up to stop, wrapping her arms around him. "What about you?"

Kurt nodded, still in shock over the even colder reception Blaine had given him this morning.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." Rachel offered, stroking her hand over her right shoulder.

"I don't know if I-"

"Mine's Jesse St. James. I spent all morning trying to find someone by that name. I think he's the lead of Vocal Adrenaline. Wanna go sneak over to Carmel High with me after school?"

"Not particularly."

"Sigh." Rachel had the habit of saying noises, instead of making them. "So, whose name did you get?"

Kurt bit his lip. " _blaineanderson_ ," he mumbled.

"I didn't catch that."

Kurt sighed and whispered the name in his ear.

"BLAINE ANDERSON?!" Rachel screeched.

Kurt slammed a hand over her mouth. " _Rachel_ , quiet!" He looked around them, making sure no one heard. "I don't want the whole school knowing."

"Why not?" Rachel asked. "He's like, the hottest guy in school. Everyone else is going to be so jealous."

"He's also the guy that I hate the most at this stupid school." Kurt sighed. He jumped when he felt a pair of arms slither around his waist.

"Hello, lovely," a syrupy voice whispered in his ear, followed by a tongue dragging along his ear. "How is my lovely soulmate doing?"

Kurt pulled himself out of the arms and twisted around. "Sebastian?! What the hell are you doing?"

Sebastian smirked. "I was saying hello to my soulmate."

"I'm not your soulmate," Kurt said, putting his hands on his hips. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't lick me."

Sebastian colored. "Of course you are my soulmate." He held up his wrist, the name 'Kurt Hummel' emblazoned in small letters right under his palm. "See, honey?"

Kurt reached forward and swiped a finger over his name, smudging it. "Seb, you wrote it in Sharpie. Sorry,  _hun_ , but I'm not your soulmate."

Sebastian frowned. He rolled up his sleeve on his other arm and shoved his wrist under Kurt's nose. "Please tell me that this isn't who I think it is."

Kurt leaned closer and looked at Sebastian's wrist. "Chandler Kiehl?" Kurt giggled. "Your soulmate is Chandler?"

Sebastian frowned. "I get the mousiest and geekiest guy in the whole school? So unfair." He huffed. "Who'd you get? Maybe I can convince him to switch."

"Uh-uh. No way I'm telling you his name. Why don't you instead focus on getting to know Chandler? He's really sweet; I think you'll be good for each other."

Kurt grabbed Rachel's hand and marched them together into school. Remembering Sebastian's furious face, Kurt was able to forget about his anger over getting Blaine's name for the first few hours of school.


	5. Chapter 5

It wasn't until third period, Kurt's first class of the day with Blaine, that he remembered his mark. Kurt felt eyes on him; he turned and found Blaine staring at him. Blaine dropped his gaze as soon as he realized he was caught, a small blush painting his cheeks. Kurt saw him staring at least ten more times during class, a confused and calculating expression on his face. Blaine always looked away when Kurt returned his gaze.

When the bell rang, Blaine leapt out of his seat and made his way out the door. Kurt shook his head and walked toward his locker. Rachel, his locker partner, smiled up at him. "How'd class go? You talk to Blaine yet?"

Kurt frowned. "Why would I talk to him?"

"Kurt! He's your soulmate! It's your responsibility as a functioning member of society to seek him out."

"Isn't it also  _his_  responsibility to seek me out? He's had ample opportunity to, but he still acts like I have the plague. Besides, I did an internet search during second period – they are 5,263 Blaine Andersons currently alive. Maybe this Blaine isn't my soulmate."

"I guess that is possible. The only way you'll find out is if you ask him whose name he got marked with."

"You know it's against the law to ask someone who their soulmate is."

"I know that," Rachel stated, huffing in indignation. "I'm not stupid, Kurt. Everyone knows you can only see another person's mark if they willingly show it, if you are confirming that they are your soulmate, or in legal situations. Maybe if you show Blaine your mark, he'll show you his."

Kurt felt his face grow crimson. "No way I'm showing him my mark. For one thing, it's in a... sensitive area. Two, what if I show him and we're not soulmates? He'll hold it over me for the rest of my life."

"You'll only know if you try. Talk to him after Glee today. If you don't figure out if he's your soulmate or not, you'll stress about this forever."

"You're right, as always."

He spent the rest of the day trying to think of a good way to broach the subject with Blaine. Should he just come right out and say it? Should he tried to lead into it, maybe make Blaine admit it first? What if Blaine asked to see it? He'd have to drop his pants to show him. That was a terrifying thought. Why couldn't his mark have been on his wrist like Sebastian's?

As if thinking about him made him appear, Kurt glanced up to see Sebastian walking quickly down the hallway, Chandler hot on his heels with a lovesick expression on his face. Chandler was carrying Sebastian's schoolbag and books, a constant stream of chatter flowing through his lips. "-and then maybe after school we could go to Between the Sheets and look through some music-"

"Listen, kid: the only time I want to go 'between the sheets' with you is in my bed and that's not happening anytime soon. Let's face it – you look like a toddler."

Chandler's face fell. "Are you unhappy with me?"

Sebastian frowned. "I'm just annoyed at the constant chatter. I'll just have to teach you better things to do with that pretty mouth of yours besides talking."

Chandler's face glowed red and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

Sebastian grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. "Come on, you're going to buy me some coffee at the Lima Bean."

Kurt just watched in slight horror as Sebastian and Chandler left the building. "Poor Chandler," Rachel commented. "He really had no idea what he's gotten himself into with Sebastian, has he?"

Kurt just shook his head. "Let's go to Glee."

Glee Club went the same way it always did. Rachel and Blaine argued about solos while Kurt fiddled with his phone in the back of the room. He still hadn't quite decided how he was going to broach the subject of soulmates with Blaine after the meeting was over.

Before Kurt realized, Glee Club was over and everyone was heading out the room. He called out Blaine's name, which Blaine ignored. Rachel grabbed Blaine's arm, stopping him before he could leave. She said something to Blaine, nodding in Kurt's direction. Kurt saw Blaine sigh but he didn't move. He turned and stood facing Kurt, waiting until everyone left before walking over to Kurt.

"Rachel said you had something important to discuss?"

Kurt nodded, standing up from his chair and making his way over to Blaine.

"Well, hurry up. I have more important things to be doing."

"What is your deal?" Kurt asked, angrily.

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked, looking confused at how livid Kurt sounded.

"You've been staring at me all day and now you're acting as if you can't stand the sight of me. Why?"

"Maybe I was looking at you because you've been staring at me. Maybe I was trying to figure out what  _your_ deal was. You're always there – like a gnat I can't swat away." Blaine scowled at him. "Why can't you understand that I want nothing to do with you?"

"You know what? I'm so done with you. I don't even know why I came to talk to you. It's like talking to a petulant child. I knew you always had as stick up your ass, I just didn't realize you were mean, too."

"God, you're so frustrating. Why they made  _you_  my soulmate, I'll never understand." Blaine face drained of all color as he realized what he said.

"Oh no, it really is you?" Kurt sat down heavily in a chair. "I had hoped that you continuing to avoid me today meant that my mark meant some other Blaine Anderson." He dropped his head on to the chair back and it made a loud thunk. He groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands.

He looked up when he heard the sound of Blaine's belt being unbuckled. "What are you doing?" Kurt squeaked, watching as Blaine started to unbutton his jeans.

"Aren't we supposed to show each other our marks?" Blaine asked, looking timid for the first time today.

Kurt remembered back to Branding class, the teacher's voice echoing in his head: " _Once you have determined that you and your partner are soulmates, it is traditional to show each other your marks, to confirm your pairing."_

"Oh yeah." Kurt said, still in a slight daze. Kurt sat up and watched as Blaine shucked his pants down to his hips, noting that Blaine wore tight,black boxer briefs with a fascination that should have made Kurt blush, but didn't. Once his jeans were resting low on his hips, Blaine started pulling down his underwear.

Kurt grew breathless as inches and more inches of skin appeared and then finally, sadly – if Kurt were to be honest – Blaine stopped, a mark appearing on his hipbone. Kurt stood up and walked over to where Blaine stood, hands shaking and legs wobbling. "That's my name," he said, completely out of breath. "My name is on your hip." He was about to reach out and touch, but stopped himself at the last second. It was really hot, the location of Blaine's mark; it ran diagonally along the natural V of his torso.

He raised his eyes up Blaine's body until they were staring at each other. Kurt reached for his own pants, unbuttoning them without looking, wiggling and pulling until they fell to his ankles. He was thankful he'd chosen his most flattering pair of boxer briefs today. He watched as Blaine licked his lips, eyes trailing down Kurt's chest to his hips, pupils dilating slightly. Kurt reached for the bottom of his underwear and lifted them up slightly so that his mark was visible. Blaine took a few steps closer, bending down slightly so that he could see it better.

"Well, whaddaya know?" Blaine said, his voice raspy. He met Kurt's gaze again, neither able to come up with anything to say. Kurt hoped that Blaine didn't notice just how turned on he was right now. It was embarrassing enough to be pantless in front of someone you didn't even really know – it would be worse for that same person to see your boner.

"So, what now?" Kurt asked, unable to look anywhere but Blaine's smoldering eyes.

Blaine blinked, and the spell seemed to be broken. He reached down and pulled his pants up, Kurt quickly following suit. "Now, we go back to normal. I ignore you and you leave me alone."

"Are you being serious right now?"

Blaine nodded. "This changes nothing."

"This changes everything," Kurt responded, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're soulmates. That means something in this world."

"Well, it means nothing to me. I don't believe in soulmates."


	6. Chapter 6

"How can you not believe in soulmates?" Kurt asked, flabbergasted.

"I just don't. Can we leave it at that?"

Kurt shook his head. "That's my name on your hip. The fates pick one person out of 7 billion to be your perfect match. Someone who will be there for you through everything. Someone you're supposed to spend you life with. I am the one person in this whole world that deserves this explanation. I'm not leaving you alone until I get it."

"Fine. You want to know why I don't believe in soulmates?" Blaine's voice shook with barely restrained anger. "My Mom and Dad are soulmates and they hate each other. My Dad drinks until he can't see straight and then takes it out on my Mom. Mom never forgets to let me know that I was a mistake, something they created to try and fix their problems. Do you know how it feels to go through every day knowing you're not wanted? Knowing that no matter how much I try, they hate me just as much as they hate themselves?"

Kurt's eyes had filled with tears and they were tracking silently down his face. "I'm so sorry."

Blaine gave a humorless chuckle. "While everyone else was dreaming about finding their soulmate, I was dreading it. I already had two people in my life who hated me – why would I want to be yoked to someone who hated me even more? My therapist said that my parents were a fluke. She said that soulmates were meant to make your life better. I let myself dream again. I let myself think that maybe the fates would give me who I needed. Then I got your name and I knew it was all a joke. I didn't want someone as broken as me. I wanted someone put together so that they could fix me."

Kurt took a shuddering breath. He wanted nothing more than to pull Blaine into his arms and take some of his hurt away. "Why can't we fix each other?"

"I've got enough problems of my own. I don't need to take on yours, too."

Kurt reared back as if he'd been slapped. "I used to like you. Back in Kindergarten, when you gave me your lunch, I thought you were the sweetest person in the whole world. I thought we'd be best friends forever and then, if I was lucky, you'd be my soulmate." Kurt bit his lip. "But you grew up to be a horrible person, Blaine Anderson. Why do you dislike me so much?"

Blaine looked confused. "I don't dislike you, Kurt."

Kurt laughed. "You do a horrible job showing that. Every time I got bullied during elementary school you just looked the other way. When I broke my foot, you saw them knock my books out of my arms but you didn't help me pick them up. You knew I needed a duet partner in Glee and you chose to not participate instead of singing with me. You ignore me when I talk to you and you keep a perimeter around me as if I'm a leper. What is so wrong with me that you can't even be in the same airspace as me?"

Blaine, for his part, looked guilty. "I told my Dad about you that day that you shared my lunch. He hit me for the first time that day. He said that I was already a disappointment and that I didn't need to add being a fag to the long list of things wrong with me. I didn't even know what that word meant, but I knew he didn't want me to be around you. He said he would take away all my toys if he found out we were playing together again. He called you awful names and said he'd go after you, too. I wanted to tell you, but I was afraid Dad would find out and I didn't want him to hurt you."

Kurt stood there, dumbstruck as Blaine continued talking.

"Once I got old enough, I told someone at my school about my Dad and they charged him. He and Mom lost custody of me. I've been living with my Uncle Cooper every since. He's one of the people unlucky enough to have been marked with the name of someone who had already died. He told me I could finally explain everything to you because he knew how broken up about it I still was. I got scared, though. I knew of a rumor that you could help the fates choose your soulmate. If you were close to someone, you could make it more likely for them to be marked with your name. I was so messed up that I didn't want to burden you with all my baggage. You had so much going for you, I didn't want to be the thing to hold you back. It was easier to keep my distance."

"Oh, Blaine."

Blaine glanced up at him, sudden anger flaring in his eyes. "I don't want your pity," he spat out. "I know now that I don't need anyone but myself. If you tell anyone about this, I will never forgive you."

Kurt shook his head. "I would never betray your confidence. I'm not evil."

Blaine looked at Kurt for a few more moments before he gave him a sad smile. "I'm so sorry it ended up this way. You deserve to be marked with the name of someone who can be there for you completely."

"You're a good person, deep down, Blaine. If you were willing to try and make this work, I'd wait for you." Kurt reached out and squeezed Blaine's hand once. "If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me."

He left Blaine standing in the choir room. He could feel the tears pour down his face. He made his way blindly to his car and somehow, he ended up at the Lima Bean.

The bell tinkled cheerily as he entered, stumbling to the line leading to the counter. He ordered the strongest drink he could find on the menu, knowing he needed something to keep him going. He was emotionally drained from Blaine's story.

Once he grabbed a coffee cozy, he looked around the building for a seat. There was an empty table near the window that he spotted. As he threw himself in the seat, he spotted Chandler and Sebastian sitting a few tables over.

Sebastian was telling him a story and Chandler giggled midsip and spilled a bit of his drink down his chin. Sebastian smiled fondly and reached over, swiping his thumb along Chandler's lip, catching the drips of coffee that lay there. He brought his finger back to his mouth and sucked on the digit, grinning at Chandler's dazed expression.

Kurt shook his head and turned back to his coffee. If only he and Blaine could have the easy companionship that Chandler and Sebastian seemed to find. He sent a quick text to Rachel letting her know that, yes he'd talked to Blaine and no he didn't want to talk about it.

He dropped his head down onto his hands and sighed.


	7. Chapter 7

"Come on Kurt, you have to join us," Sebastian urged. "I'll even save you a dance."

Kurt smiled at him. "How does Chandler feel about this?"

Sebastian frowned. "We're just worried about you, Kurt. You've been so down lately. We just want you to be happy again."

"Fine. I'll go to the party with you."

Sebastian whooped and wrapped his arm around Kurt's shoulder. "We need to get you all gussied up. I'm going to find you a guy if it's the last thing I do. We both know you've gotten your mark but you haven't got a guy yet, so I think it's safe to assume that you are one of those unlucky few who have to wait to find their soulmate. In the meantime, there's a lot of unmarked or unclaimed guys who'd love to be with you."

"How about instead of focusing on finding me a guy, you focus on your soulmate?"

"I have been focusing on him. In fact, I 'focused' on him all weekend." He winked at Kurt.

"Oh god. Lalalalala I don't want to hear." Kurt put his fingers in his ears. "I have Glee to get to. I'll see you tonight, I guess."

"You'd better be looking hot for the party tonight," Sebastian shouted, waving as Kurt walked off, shaking his head and laughing.

It had been two months since Blaine and Kurt had talked in the choir room and nothing had really changed. Blaine still ignored him for the most part, only glancing at him a few times more than normal. Kurt had been abnormally lonely on Valentines Day because he finally had a real reason to be dating someone on the day but that someone wanted nothing to do with him.

* * *

The party was in full swing when Kurt arrived, spotting the Glee Club members and a few of his friends milling around. Adam waved at him from across the room and Kurt returned his wave, making his way over to where Sebastian and Chandler were standing.

Chandler was leaning on Sebastian quite heavily, giggling quietly at his feet. "What's up with him?" Kurt asked.

Sebastians shook his head. "My little songbird had a bit too much of the spiked punch." He stroked a hand over Chandler's forehead, pressing a kiss to his temple. "Hey, babe, are you okay?"

Chandler looked up at Sebastian. "Of course; you're here," he said, as if it was obvious.

Sebastian kissed him lightly, turning to smile at Kurt. "That would be so much sweeter if he weren't slurring. I'm going to go find a place to set him down. See you in a bit?"

Kurt nodded and watched as Sebastian helped Chandler stumble away. They were sickeningly adorable, but Kurt was jealous of their bond. It was nice to see how much Sebastian had matured and softened since being marked. Kurt grabbed a can of soda from the table and went to sit down and people watch.

Adam came to sit next to Kurt on the couch, flashing him a smile. "Hello, Kurt. You're looking particularly lovely today."

"Thanks, Adam. Has anyone come up to you yet?" Adam had been a few days younger than 16 on Branding Day, so he wouldn't get marked until next year. In the days and weeks after Branding Day, it was common for those younger than 16 to be approached by their older, marked soulmates.

Adam put his hand on Kurt's thigh, pinky dangerously near his crotch. "No, but you should already know that."

Kurt raised his eyebrow, moving Adam's hand. "What do you mean by that?"

"You got marked this year, right?"

Kurt nodded, still confused.

"I don't really get why you didn't come find me right away, but I'm ready to accept your claim whenever you are." Adam leaned over and pressed his lips to Kurt's neck, sucking lightly.

_Oh god, he thinks he's my soulmate._ Kurt pushed Adam away. "I have a soulmate, Adam, and it's not you."

Adam frowned. "Very funny, Kurt."

"I'm not joking, Adam. You're not my soulmate."

"I don't believe you. Show me." His hands roughly pulled at his shirt, a button popping and pinging a few feet away.

Kurt slapped his hands away. "Stop it."

"No. You've teased me for too long, I'm taking what's mine." Adam fumbled with a few more of Kurt's buttons. "I'm sick of seeing you fawn over everyone else when you are clearly  _mine_."

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Blaine's hand slapped down on Adam's shoulder and he yanked him away from Kurt. "He said no and he meant it. Do you want me to get the police involved? You know how serious a crime it is for you to sexual assault someone who is marked."

Adam stood up, straightening his shirt. "Fuck you," he spat at Kurt and Blaine and stormed out of the house.

"You okay?" Blaine asked Kurt.

"I can protect myself. I don't need you." Kurt stood up and stalked away from Blaine, frowning when he heard Blaine following him. Once they reached the upper landing he turned to face Blaine. "Why are you following me?"

"I want to make sure you're going to be okay."

"Since when do you care how I'm doing?"

"Since... well, since this." Blaine indicated the area of his hip where Kurt's name rested. "We're soulmates, Kurt."

Kurt scoffed. "I thought you didn't believe in soulmates."

"I didn't. I just... I can't get you out of my thoughts," Blaine admitted, looking defeated. "Maybe there is something more to this than I originally thought."

"Oh no, you don't get to do this to me." Kurt shoved Blaine up against the wall, the boy's eyes going wide with what looked like shock and also something else, desire maybe? "You don't get to decide suddenly that you want to try something after months of ignoring me. What if I'd decided I was done with you?"

Blaine frowned. "Have you?"

"Of course I haven't!" Kurt nearly shouted, planting both of his hands on either side of Blaine's face. "You had to know I've had a crush on you since forever, even though you treat me like shit. Screw it," Kurt said, surging forward and crashing their lips together.

Blaine gave a muffled shout, his hands flailing before slotting against Kurt's hips. White lights flared behind his eyelids and Kurt groaned, pulling Blaine closer to him.

When he needed to breathe, Kurt shoved Blaine from him, jabbing him in the chest with his pointer finger, nail digging lightly into the flesh. "Think about that," he said, voice raspy, "and come find me when you're ready to do something about us."

Kurt walked away from Blaine, giggling when he heard Blaine sink to the floor.


	8. Chapter 8

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Blaine threw him hand out of the covers and patted down the entirety of his bedside table before he located the screaming alarm clock and flicked it off. He groaned and turned over under the covers, curling up in the warmth and attempting to go back to sleep.

"Wakey wakey, Blainers!" an altogether too cheery voice called from his doorway.

"Oh my god Cooper, just go away and let me sleep."

His uncle sighed. "But, Blainey, it's Branding Day. Don't you want to know who you were marked with?"

Blaine peeked his head out from under the covers and mumbled, "Not particularly. Can I go to bed now?"

Cooper laughed quietly, walking over and pulling the covers off Blaine. "No. You still have school, young man. Up and at 'em."

Blaine groaned and sat up, scratching a hand through his hair. "Fine. Did you make anything for breakfast?"

"If by 'make' you mean, did I go out and buy more milk for your cereal, yes. If not, no, I'm not your maid, you can make your own meal." Cooper ruffled a hand through his hair and left him alone.

Blaine sighed and closed his eyes. At some point, he'd discover the name of his soulmate somewhere on his body. Until that time, he'd hold off and pretend nothing had changed. He'd never forget the image of his father screaming at his mother every single day back as far as he could remember. Even after he'd acknowledged that not every claim was like his parents, he still wasn't anxious to have someone's name on his body, someone he'd be responsible for and who'd be responsible for him.

He stood up, stretching his arms over his head, reaching down to scratch his nails over the hair on his belly and shuffling to his shower. He pulled his clothes off in a daze, starting up the water so that it'd be hot for when he stepped in. Once steam started pouring out from the shower curtain, Blaine stepped in, sticking his head under the spray and wetting his hair and body down. He blindly reached for his bar soap and lathered it up in his hands, scrubbing it over his arms and shoulders.

As he bent down to scrub the soap down his torso and legs, he noticed the black mark on his hip.  _Kurt Hummel._ "Fuck." Blaine fell back against the wall of the shower hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs. He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor of the shower, head falling to his knees, bar of soap slipping out of his fingers and skittering across the tile.

Kurt Hummel was someone Blaine strived not to think about on a daily basis. He could easily remember the first day he'd met the boy – Blaine had been kicking a rock around the playground, minding his own business when he'd heard someone crying softly. He'd followed the sound and stumbled across the most beautiful boy he'd ever met. He was prettier than all the other kids in his class and he'd be struck silent at the sight of him. Even with tears pouring down his cheeks, he'd shone with light from deep inside.

" _Why are you crying?" Blaine asked, going to sit down next to the boy._

_The boy sniffed, looking up at Blaine through his tears. "My Daddy forgot to pack my lunch. I'm so very hungry."_

" _That's not very nice of your Daddy," Blaine commented, reaching out and putting his arm around the boy._

_The boy frowned, pulling away from him. "My Daddy's very nice. He just forgets sometimes."_

" _Well, my Daddy packed me a big lunch and I didn't eat it all. Would you like to share with me?"_

" _You would share your lunch with me?" The boy asked, smiling._

_Blaine nodded. "I don't like seeing you cry. Maybe with a full tummy you'll feel better?"_

_The boy nodded. "My name is Kurt, what's yours?"_

" _I'm Blaine. Do you want to be my friend?"_

" _Yes," Kurt said, beaming up at him._

_Blaine reached into his backpack and pulled out his sack, carefully removing the half of sandwich and apple he had left over from lunch. He handed the items over to Kurt who took them gratefully, chewing slowly and smiling at Blaine through the bites. Blaine was fascinated with him, from his knee shorts to his suspenders and bright blue scarf tied artistically around his neck. His shoes were shiny and expertly tied. His chestnut hair was brushed away from his forehead and his blue eyes gazed at him through long lashes. His cheeks were still pink high on his face from when he'd been crying earlier._

" _Is there something on my face?" Kurt asked curiously._

_Blaine blinked, pulling himself out of his daze. "No." He felt his cheeks brighten as he bit his lip. "You're very pretty."_

" _Really?"_

_Blaine nodded. "I like your scarf."_

_Kurt looked down and plucked at it "My Mommy bought it for my last birthday." His face fell for a moment before he shook his head and glanced back up at Blaine. "I like your bow tie."_

_Blaine smiled and straightened it. "Thank you. My uncle Cooper sends them to me on Christmas."_

" _Your hair is very fluffy, like a sheep," Kurt said, giggling._

_Blaine patted it self consciously. "Mommy wants me to use this gross goop to make it less fuzzy. It smells like raspberries but it feels ookie."_

_Kurt reached out and twisted his finger through a curl. "I hope she doesn't. I like your hair like this."_

" _Me too."_

_The bell rang for recess to be over. Blaine stood up and brushed his pants off, holding his hand out to Kurt who placed his hand in his, a shot of energy racing up Blaine's arm at the contact. Kurt pulled Blaine into a hug, breathing a 'Thank you' into his ear. Before pulling away, Kurt pressed a kiss to Blaine's cheek, blushing brightly. "Will you play with me tomorrow?"_

_Blaine nodded, waving goodbye._

_Blaine had been giddy when he came home, talking a mile a minute about his new friend to his Dad. "He is so pretty, Daddy. He hugged me and kissed my cheek," he said, bouncing on his toes._

_He watched as his father's face grew red, swallowing the rest of his drink in one gulp. "What did you just say?"_

" _I was telling you about Kurt?" Blaine said, feeling the nerves overtake him._

" _No, you were telling me about how you've become a fag!"_

" _What's a fag?" Blaine asked, tongue curling uncertainly around the new word._

" _It's a term for disgusting people like you. I knew your mother buying you those Barbies and those pussy clothes was a mistake. Starting now, those are all going in the trash."_

" _You're throwing away my toys?" Blaine asked, eyes widening._

_His Dad nodded, standing up and going to Blaine's room. "You are never to speak to or see that boy again." He started grabbing all of Blaine's toys and tossing them into the garbage can in the room._

" _But, Daddy, he's my friend and-"_

_Blaine was not prepared for the quick movement of his Dad's hand slamming into the side of his head which threw him hard onto the floor. Blaine cried out, placing his palm on his stinging cheek, eyes tearing up. "You shut your mouth, boy. If you see that boy again, I'll hurt him, too. Starting right now, we're done with all this faggy bullshit. One toe out of line and I'll have to smack some more sense into you."_

_The tears were falling steadily down Blaine's face, body shaking enough that he nearly threw up. His Dad threw away every single toy in Blaine's room and his entire collection of bow ties. When his Mom got home from work, they started yelling at each other, which was normal, but this time it escalated to the point that his Dad walked out, slamming the door behind him. His Mom had come into the room, then, telling him that it was all his fault that his Dad hated them both and that Blaine was a mistake._

_Blaine cried himself to sleep that night, curled up around his blanket, his teddy bear in the trash with the rest of his toys._

_The next day at recess, Kurt came running up to him, eyes shining and mouthed curved into a wide smile. He held out his hands, presenting four Power Rangers to him. "I thought we could play with these today," Kurt said, offering two of them to Blaine._

_Blaine shook his head and took a few steps back. "I don't want to."_

_Kurt's face fell. "Oh. Well, I guess we could play with something else."_

" _I don't want to play with you," Blaine said quietly, kicking the dirt with his toe._

" _What? Yesterday you said we were friends."_

" _I was pretending," Blaine lied. "I don't want to be around you anymore." Blaine's heart broke when he saw how crestfallen Kurt looked._

_Kurt's lower lip quivered and tears welled up in his eyes. "Why are you being so mean?"_

" _I just want you to leave me alone." Blaine bit his lip, apologies bubbling up the back of his throat when he heard Kurt whimper and drop his arms in defeat._

" _Fine." Kurt stalked off towards the other side of the play yard. After a few steps, a group of large boys crowded around Kurt, bumping into him, taking his toys from his hands. "Hey! Those are mine. Give them back!"_

_The largest boy, Davey, laughed, bending down and sneering right into his face. "Power Rangers are boy toys. You sound like a girl, so you shouldn't be playing with these." He put his hands on Kurt's shoulders and pushed him hard, causing Kurt to fall flat on his butt, staring sadly up at them while they laughed and walked away with his toys. Davey smirked at Kurt, calling back a, "Stay there in the dirt: it's where you belong," as he continued walking._

_Kurt hung his head, his shoulders shaking with sobs, cradling his hand in his lap where Blaine could see it had been scraped raw from catching himself on the ground. Blaine wanted to do nothing more than run over and comfort him but he could still feel the ache on his cheek where his Daddy had hit_ _him and he knew his Daddy would do so much worse to Kurt than those boys ever could, so he huffed and turned away from Kurt, walking over to the swings to spend the remainder of his recess alone._

_For the next 3 years, Blaine spent most of his time ignoring Kurt, something that killed him inside because he could see Kurt getting bullied nearly every day by those boys. One day, they trapped him on top of the monkey bars. Kurt's screams could be heard across the play yard, but no one went to help him. Blaine had been pushing himself idly on the swings, but peered up at him when he heard Kurt call out his name._

_Kurt was staring straight at him, a look of horror on his face, his cheeks blotchy and covered with tears. "Blaine! Please help!"_

_Blaine nearly leapt out of his swing, but caught himself at the last second. He was still recovering from the beating his father had given him the previous night when he'd discovered the Disney Princess book Blaine had kept hidden under his mattress. He knew he couldn't bring Kurt into that sort of situation. He hardened his heart and walked away from Kurt for the hundredth time, making his way over to the see saws._

_In third grade, a teacher had admonished him for wrecking one of their text books. "I'm sorry, Mrs. White. Please don't hit me."_

_The teacher had paused, a concerned expression on her face. "Blaine, why would you think I would hit you?"_

_Blaine shrugged. "My Dad does it all the time."_

_The teacher had sent him to the social worker and things had quickly snowballed from there. He heard lots of large words thrown around like "custody" and "abuse" and "legal battle" but he didn't understand any of them. Within hours, he was whisked off to his Uncle Cooper's house, a bag of his belongings at his side. He was tired and scared and so very confused as to what was going on._

_Over the next few weeks he'd learned that his Mom and Dad were no longer going to be a part of his life. Blaine had assumed his father's actions were normal, but he learned that parents shouldn't hit their children. It took years for Blaine to accept who he was as a person and start participating in things he actually enjoyed and to wear the bow ties Cooper continued to buy him._

_One night he'd tearfully told Cooper about his interactions with Kurt. Cooper had encouraged him to seek Kurt out and apologize and finally explain why everything happened the way itdid. Blaine was scared, though. Kurt had continued to blossom, turning willowy and more gorgeous as each day went on. Blaine knew he had a long way to go before he could be the kind of person Kurt deserved and he didn't want to go back into Kurt's life until he became better. Besides, his friend Wesley told him about this story he'd read in a book at the library, that you could help the fates choose who your soulmate by putting yourself into their lives and doing things together._

_Blaine knew he wasn't what anyone would want in a partner, so he wasn't going to do that to Kurt. He knew how talented and special Kurt was, even after all the bullying and abuse the poor boy had gotten, and he didn't want to hold Kurt back. So Blaine continued ignoring Kurt and pulling away, hoping that it would be enough to make sure that Kurt got someone truly special as his soulmate._

Blaine looked down at his hip and started laughing, nearly hysteric. It was all for naught. He and Kurt Hummel were soulmates and there was nothing he could do about it.


	9. Chapter 9

Blaine hurried his way into school, dodging the dawdlers outside the doors. He was about to push around someone standing right in front of the door when they moved and Blaine ran into them, nearly cracking both their heads on the door. He turned to apologized and felt himself self almost choke on his tongue when he saw who it was.

Kurt Hummel was standing there staring at him as if he'd lost his breath, mouth hung wide open. Blaine couldn't help the feeling welling up inside of him, something so ingrained in him from all the years of pushing Kurt away from him. He felt his eyes narrow on their own and he pushed past Kurt, not even bothering to apologize for nearly knocking him unconscious.

Blaine had the first two periods of school to try and think of what he was going to do if Kurt approached him. With the way Blaine was a jerk to him all these years, he wouldn't be surprised if Kurt didn't even bother wanting to claim him. If presented the option, Blaine definitely wouldn't claim himself. He was a sorry excuse for a life partner.

Once it came time for History class, his first class he shared with Kurt, Blaine rushed in, grabbing a seat in the very back of the class so that he could safely observe Kurt, who tended to sit in the front of the class, and not have to worry about him watching Blaine in return.

With two minutes until class, Kurt entered the room, bringing with him this unexplainable energy. Blaine always felt like it was brighter and warmer when Kurt was in the same room, his heart beating a few beats faster than normal. Blaine pulled out his textbook and pretended to reread the chapter, keeping his eye on Kurt every few minutes.

It was really unfair how attractive Kurt was. It's why there were at least three guys who were always hanging all over him the last few years. If Blaine would admit it to himself, he'd realize he was insanely jealous of them. They got to talk to Kurt and experience him and Blaine just... couldn't.

Blaine looked Kurt up and down with a frown.  _Does he really have to wear jeans that tight? It's like he's doing all this on purpose._  Blaine crossed his legs carefully and tried to readjust himself as inconspicuously as possible. Kurt looked up at that point, meeting Blaine's gaze directly. Blaine lowered his eyes to his notebook quickly, hating his cheeks for the blush they took on. There's no way Kurt could know what he was thinking.

When enough time had passed, he'd looked back up at Kurt, admiring the cut of his shirt. It was a beautiful violet, paired with a black ascot adorned with a single gem in the middle. It was if Kurt could feel his gaze because he looked back at Blaine again, eyebrow raised when he caught Blaine staring again.

Blaine thought and rethought his decision to ignore Kurt. Now that they were soulmates, was it really necessary? There was no changing the fact that Kurt was chosen as his perfect match. He kept his eye on Kurt the rest of the class period debating if he should just go up to him after Glee and talk.

The bell rang and Blaine was still undecided. He leapt out of his chair and practically ran from the room. He wasn't prepared for a conversation with Kurt yet, so it was best to avoid him for now. Blaine managed to keep away from Kurt, but he couldn't avoid him in Glee.

He focused on keeping things like normal, so he spent the hour arguing with Rachel over who would get the solo for Regionals. He felt Kurt's eyes on the back of his head, but he forced himself to stay facing forward. It was a breath of relief when Mr. Schue said they could leave.

He stood up quickly and walked towards the door, hearing Kurt call out after him, but he really wasn't ready for this conversation so he pretended like he hadn't heard him. He couldn't ignore the tiny hand on his arm, though. He turned to see Rachel glaring at him.

"You've been really rude to Kurt and that needs to stop. He has something really important to talk to you about. If you don't stay and talk to him," she nodded in Kurt's direction, "I'll kick you in the balls. See you tomorrow!" She add the last sentence in a cheery voice and skipped out of the room.

Blaine sighed. Rachel was tiny, but she was a pistol, so he didn't doubt the bodily harm she'd threatened. He took a deep breath before turning to face Kurt, who was sitting near the back of the room still, looking completely uncertain. "Rachel said you had something important to discuss?"

Kurt nodded, finally standing up and walking towards him.

It was easy for Blaine to fall back on his previous attitude towards Kurt: asshole. "Well, hurry up. I have more important things to be doing."

Blaine could see the fire rise in Kurt's eyes "What is your deal?"

"What do you mean?" Blaine asked, honestly confused at how livid Kurt sounded.

"You've been staring at me all day and now you're acting as if you can't stand the sight of me. Why?"

Blaine could feel anger rising through his body. He really didn't want to have to get into this today. It was already a long day and now he was forced to be part of a conversation he really didn't want to get into today. Maybe if he'd had time to deal with the fact they were soulmates, he could be more kind but he really wasn't ready for this all. Instead of having a polite conversation about everything they'd gone through, he was unable to do more than be the jerk he'd always been to Kurt. "Maybe I was looking at you because you've been staring at me. Maybe I was trying to figure out what your deal was. You're always there – like a gnat I can't swat away." Blaine couldn't stop himself from scowling. "Why can't you understand that I want nothing to do with you?"

Blaine could see how much his words hurt Kurt, just like they had so long ago when he first brushed him off. Kurt hid it well, though. "You know what? I'm so done with you. I don't even know why I came to talk to you. It's like talking to a petulant child. I knew you always had as stick up your ass, I just didn't realize you were mean, too."

"God, you're so frustrating. Why they made  **you**  my soulmate, I'll never understand." Blaine face drained of all color as he realized what he said. He really hadn't meant to admit that, not right now, in the middle of this all.

"Oh no, it really is you?" Blaine heard Kurt sit heavily into a chair. He'd really fucked up now. Now that it was out there, they'd have to start the claim, whether they wanted it or not. Blaine brought his shaking hands down to his pants, hesitating when Kurt continued grumbling, "I had hoped that you continuing to avoid me today meant that my mark meant some other Blaine Anderson." Blaine looked up to see Kurt rubbing harshly at his face, head resting on the chair back. Blaine bit his lip and started undoing his belt, Kurt's head popping up when he heard him, voice screeching out, "What are you doing?"

Blaine paused, unsure of his actions. "Aren't we supposed to show each other our marks?"

"Oh yeah." Kurt said, sounding dazed. He looked entirely too interested, eyes following the movement of Blaine's hands as he removed his belt and unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, wiggling once to pull them off his hips.

Blaine was thankful that he'd changed into clean underwear today, since Kurt seemed way too focused on them. Blaine's hands were steady as he pulled down the band of his underwear enough for the mark to be visible to Kurt. Blaine couldn't pull his eyes away from Kurt's expression, looking hungry as he stood up unsteadily. Blaine was entirely unprepared for Kurt to walk over to him, hand outstretched as if to touch. Blaine was sure he'd collapse in a puddle of goo if Kurt were to touch him.

"That's my name," Kurt's voice was barely a whisper. "My name is on your hip."

Blaine watched as Kurt's eyes dragged up his body and finally met his gaze. Blaine could barely breathe as they simply looked at each other, Kurt's eyes a midnight black with very little blue around the pupils. He blinked when he saw Kurt's hands moving in the corner of his vision, working at his own pants. It took much too long for him to remove them, as tight as they were, so Blaine took his time appreciating the lithe body up close. Kurt's underwear was jet black and _ohgodthat'shiscock_ , Blaine felt his dick twitch in his own underwear. Blaine licked his lips unconsciously when Kurt reached down to pull up the bottom of his underwear. Blaine could feel a hunger bubble in his belly. He couldn't stop his feet from moving, bending down so that he could look upon his name written perfectly on his inner thigh.

"Well, whaddaya know?" Blaine said, embarrassed at how raspy his voice sounded. He brought his gaze back up to Kurt's eyes and he was certain Kurt was just as turned on as he was now.

"So, what now?" Kurt asked, breaking the ice.

Blaine blinked, feeling all the previous tension slip away in a heartbeat. How could he think Kurt and he would finalize their claim? Nothing had changed about himself with his marking. Blaine was still the incomplete and unprepared person who wouldn't be of any use to anyone. He reached down and pulled his pants up, Kurt doing the same after a few seconds of silence. Blaine couldn't help but revert back to his old indifferent attitude toward Kurt, no matter just how tight his pants were now. "Now, we go back to normal. I ignore you and you leave me alone."

Kurt looked flabbergasted. "Are you being serious right now?"

Blaine nodded at Kurt, struggling to keep a steady voice. "This changes nothing."

"This changes everything," Kurt huffed, wrapping his arms across his body. "We're soulmates. That means something in this world."

At the word 'soulmates', all the previous lust and attraction he felt for Kurt slipped completely away. "Well, it means nothing to me. I don't believe in soulmates."

"How can you not believe in soulmates?"

Blaine was not going to get into this conversation right now. "I just don't. Can we leave it at that?"

Kurt shook his head. "That's my name on your hip. The fates pick one person out of 7 billion to be your perfect match. Someone who will be there for you through everything. Someone you're supposed to spend you life with. I am the one person in this whole world that deserves this explanation. I'm not leaving you alone until I get it."

Blaine nearly snapped at him, proceeded to tell him his life story in a stream of words prompted by his anger at Kurt's confronting of the issue.

"Then I got your name and I knew it was all a joke. I didn't want someone as broken as me. I wanted someone put together so that they could fix me." Blaine finished up, being completely honest with Kurt.

"Why can't we fix each other?"

Blaine wanted nothing more than to accept Kurt and what he was offering, but he just wasn't ready for this all. It was best to keep Kurt at arm's length. "I've got enough problems of my own. I don't need to take on yours, too."

Kurt wouldn't accept that though. He mentioned all the times Blaine ignored him and how much that hurt and Blaine finally explained the situation with his Dad and Mom and Uncle and Kurt got his look of pity on his face.

Blaine lashed out; the last thing he wanted from him was pity. He couldn't leave Kurt so sad, so he apologized for the situation they'd found themselves in. "I'm so sorry it ended up this way. You deserve to be marked with the name of someone who can be there for you completely."

"You're a good person, deep down, Blaine. If you were willing to try and make this work, I'd wait for you." Kurt reached out and squeezed Blaine's hand once. "If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me." Kurt had left him in the choir room and it took nearly fifteen minutes for Blaine to be able to leave, stuck in a storm of confusion from everything that had happened today.

Blaine, still completely unprepared for a relationship with someone as good and perfect and beautiful as Kurt continued to ignore him for the next two months, trying to work through all the things that had happened to him in his short life.

The night of the party at Rachel's house was when everything started changing again. Blaine spent most of the night against the wall, people watching. He couldn't help but watch Kurt throughout the party, spending most of it talking with Sebastian and Chandler. When Kurt had gone to sit down on the couch and Adam joined him, Blaine had started feeling the jealousy flare up in him. When Adam was too close and kissing Kurt's neck, Blaine had had enough.

He got to them just as Kurt was slapping Adam's hand away and yelling at him to stop. Adam ignored him and kept pawing at him. Blaine reached down and pulled Adam off Kurt, threatening to call the cops if he didn't leave.

After Adam had left, Blaine turned to make sure Kurt was okay. Kurt looked furious, saying he didn't need any help. Blaine had followed Kurt, unable to let him leave when he was so angry. Kurt had confronted him, asking why Blaine had suddenly had a change of heart and started caring. Blaine couldn't answer other than to admit that maybe being soulmates had some merit and he'd been wrong all along.

Kurt had shoved him up against the wall, still furious at him. Blaine couldn't help but feel his body stir with interest as Kurt's eyes stared deeply into his own.

"You don't get to decide suddenly that you want to try something after months of ignoring me. What if I'd decided I was done with you?"

Blaine felt his heart drop. Was it possibly he was too late? "Have you?"

"Of course I haven't!" Kurt shouted at him, planting both of his hands on either side of Blaine's face. "You had to know I've had a crush on you since forever, even though you treat me like shit. Screw it," Kurt said, and before Blaine could breathe, their lips were against each other's moving furiously together, Kurt pulling a surprised shout from his throat. He barely had time to put his hand on Kurt's hips and pull Kurt closer, before the boy groaned and pulled away from him. Blaine registered the feeling of Kurt's fingernail digging into his chest. "Think about that," he said, voice raspy, "and come find me when you're ready to do something about us."

Blaine watched Kurt walk away, feeling his knees buckle and he fell to the floor, winded and still so very confused. Blaine wasn't sure how things came to be this way, but he knew there was no turning back now. One taste of Kurt's lips and tongue and he was hooked. Plan 'Woo Kurt Hummel' was a go.


	10. Chapter 10

After the party, Blaine seemed to be around more. He'd always be there in the hallway, glancing at him every so often. He sat next to him in Glee and would give him a smile, but he never forced a conversation.

Today was no different. Blaine had come into Glee last, making his way to the back row to sit next to Kurt. "Hello, Kurt."

"Hello," Kurt replied. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm okay. How are you?"

"Good."

They looked at each other for a few moments, unsure what more they could say. Kurt knew next to nothing about Blaine. What little he knew was of his extra curricular activities and the brief story of his childhood. The first topic would only lead to small talk and the second was unacceptable for public conversation.

"I was thinking-" Blaine started, but then Mr. Schue arrived and practice was started. Blaine kept trying to talk to Kurt during the brief breaks between songs, but he was always interrupted. Finally Blaine turned to address their teacher.

"Mr. Schue, I was wondering if I could sing something." Everyone turned to look at Blaine _._

"Of course, Blaine."

Blaine smiled at the teacher and made his way to the front of the choir room. He walked to the piano and sat down, playing a few test chords. "Growing up was rough. I always tried to be kind and a friend, but it's been pointed out to me that I've been an asshole." Blaine's eyes shot over to where Kurt sat before falling back to piano. "Family is supposed to be the most important thing in this world, but sometimes it's not. Sometimes all you can do is survive and hope something better comes along." Again, Blaine looked up at Kurt, unable to keep his gaze for longer than a few seconds.

He played a few more random chords before it started to sound like a song. Kurt listened intently, but was unable to pick out the tune.

" _Mama please stop crying_

_I can't stand the sound_

_Your pain is painful_

_And it's tearing me down_

_I hear glasses breaking_

_As I sit up in my bed_

_I told Dad you didn't mean_

_Those nasty things you said."_

Kurt's heart broke. He knew from their conversation on Branding Day that Blaine had a rough childhood and that he was still working through all the pain his parents had caused, but to hear the raw pain in his voice as he sat and bared his heart and soul nearly killed him. _  
_

" _It ain't easy, growing up in World War III_

_Never knowing what love could be."_

Blaine again looked up at Kurt, holding his gaze.

" _You'll see, I don't want love to destroy me_

_Like it has done my family_

_Can we work it out?_

_Can we be a family?_

_I promise I'll be better_

_Mommy, I'll do anything  
_

_Can we work it out?_

_Can we be a family?_

_I promise I'll be better_

_Daddy, please don't leave."_

Kurt could hear a few of the girls sniffling, mainly Tina who was clutching her hands to her chest.

_"I ran away today_

_Ran from the noise, ran away_

_Don't wanna go back to that place_

_But don't have no choice, no way._

_In our family portrait_

_We look pretty happy_

_We look pretty normal_

_Let's go back to that_

_In our family portrait_

_We look pretty happy_

_Let's play pretend_

_Act like it goes naturally."_

Blaine let the last chord die out, staring at his hands as they stilled on the keys. There was a length of time where everyone was silent, not daring to breathe lest they break the spell of the song. Blaine rubbed a hand under his nose before glancing up at Kurt once more. "Love doesn't come easily to someone who been taught that their type of loving is wrong and disgusting. Someone whose life revolved around what they could do to keep their parents from believing they were nothing more than a punching bag. If you've been told day in and day out that you're worthless, how else can you see yourself?"

Blaine bit his lip, turning to look at their teacher. "Would it be alright if I just went home?"

Mr. Schue nodded, a look of shock on his face. "Of course."

Blaine nodded and stood up, walking swiftly to the door. Kurt was still speechless, dumbstruck at all the deep pain that was still inside of Blaine, finally having a better understanding of just why Blaine was so against the notion of soulmates and so against starting a claim with someone he didn't even know. This pain wasn't something that could be washed away with a few kind words. This was something that would take years of therapy and time spent with someone who could show them that love was okay and that they were worth being loved and that they were special.

 

 

End Notes:

**Youtube Dot Com Slash watch?v=uX4uappjgCc - Just imagine Blaine playing the piano himself as he sings.**


	11. Chapter 11

"Hello?" Kurt asked, blinking the sleep from his eyes, phone pressed to his ear.

"Hi, Kurt."

"Blaine?" Kurt sat up, looking at the alarm clock. "It's 2 in the morning? Why are you calling? How did you get my number?"

Blaine cleared his throat on the other end of the line. "I got your number from Mr. Schue. I may have implied I wanted to discuss songs with you."

Kurt shook his head, laying back down in bed. "You're unbelievable. What was so important that you had to lie to get my number and then call me in the middle of the night?"

He heard Blaine take a few deep breaths. "I needed to talk to you." Kurt shivered as Blaine's voice dipped down in pitch and he heard the rustling of sheets. "I had this dream and I knew I couldn't fall back asleep without hearing your voice."

"Oh?" Kurt asked, intrigued.

"Yeah."

"Can I ask what the dream was about?" Kurt grabbed a pillow from the other side of his bed and clutched it to his chest, trying to calm his pounding heart.

"After you kissed me last week I couldn't stop thinking about it. The idea of committing to someone still terrifies me, but I think I'm ready to try. I had this dream where I was all alone in this dark room and all the noise was gone. I was going crazy because I couldn't sense anything, not light, not noise, not smell... And then you were there and there was color and sound and, god, you were so beautiful." His voice was barely a whisper by the end of his confession.

Kurt let out a small whimper, clutching the pillow tighter to himself. "Really?"

"Yeah. So I was thinking that maybe you would like to come over to my house tomorrow, well, later today, since we have the day off school, and maybe we could talk about us?" Blaine sounded so small, as if he was afraid of Kurt's answer.

"Sure." Kurt's voice was breathless.

"Good." Kurt could almost hear Blaine's smile. "Good."

"I'm going to go back to sleep."

"Oh, right. Goodnight, Kurt."

"Goodnight, Blaine." Kurt clicked his phone off and flailed. He needed to get at least four more hours sleep if he wanted to look his best for Blaine tomorrow. He ended up tossing and turning the rest of the night, breaking out in giggles at random moments.

By seven, he admitted defeat and sat up, stretching his arms above his head with a mighty yawn.

He put on his favorite pair of boxer briefs; he had to be prepared for Blaine to ask to see his mark again. He chose a simple pair of black jeans and paired it with a red button up, spraying his hair into a tamed yet messy up-do. He pulled on his knee high black Doc Martens, happy with his reflection in the mirror.

He jumped when his phone buzzed at nine o clock. " _If 10:00 works for you, I'll text you my address ~ Blaine."_

Kurt smiled and sent back a yes, writing down Blaine's address when it was sent a minute later. He ran downstairs to eat a quick breakfast, telling his Dad that he'd be out for most of the day with a friend.

The drive over was a bit long, giving Kurt time to become really nervous. His hands were clammy by the time he pulled up in front of Blaine's house. It was a lovely white two-story on the outskirts of Lima, a large oak tree in the middle of the front yard.

Blaine came out to meet him when he pulled up to the garage. Blaine pulled him into a hug, breathing him in. "I'm glad you could come."

"Thank you for inviting me." Kurt took Blaine's offered hand and let him pull him into the house. He gave him a quick tour, pointing to a picture of him and a handsome older man in the hallway. "That's my Uncle Coop. He's at work all day, so we'll have the house to ourselves. Can I get you anything to drink before we go up to my room?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, thank you." He let Blaine lead him up the stairs and through a door into his bedroom.

The room was painted a lovely shade of forest green and was full of musical instruments. Kurt turned to look at Blaine who looked gorgeous in the light of the sun pouring through his window.

"You said this morning that you were ready to try. Is that still true?"

Blaine nodded. "You make me want to try to be a better person."

"You are a good person, Blaine, no matter what I may have told you before. You just have to learn to deal with your insecurities that your parents gave you. If you're really ready, of course I'll be there for you."

"I am ready. Do you... will you accept me?" Blaine asked, holding his hands out wide, putting himself on display.

Kurt took a deep breath. "Yes. We both know you have a lot to work on, your fears and your misgivings about soulmates, but I think if we work on them together, we can help each other."

"I'd love that."

They stared at each other for a few moments before the silence became deafening. "So, what now?"

Blaine looked up at him through his eyelashes. "I was thinking maybe we could finalize our claim?"

Kurt's eyes bugged out. "You mean...? Here? Now?" He was sure his voice was squeaking.

Blaine nodded, looking nervous. "I want to make sure we do this right. Mr. Ryerson said that it's important to establish the claim completely in the beginning."

"Right. I just hadn't thought about..." Kurt pulled at the top button on his shirt. "Is it getting hot in here? It's like I can't breathe."

Blaine reached for Kurt's hands and led him over to his bed. "We don't have to do this if you don't want. I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Kurt shook his head. "No, it's alright. I had just forgotten about that part of the claiming process. It's okay because it's you. If we're going to be soulmates, I need to trust you." Kurt reached out with mostly steady hands and started unbuttoning Blaine's cardigan. "Have you thought about which you are?" Kurt asked, eyes focused on Blaine's shirt which he continued to unbutton.

"I think I'd really like it to be you, the first time. You have much more control than me." Blaine raised Kurt's head up with his hand and met his gaze. "I don't care as long as we're both comfortable and totally okay with this."

Kurt smiled at him. "I really think I am okay." He leaned forward and kissed Blaine lightly, pulling back and continuing to undress his soulmate. "You should probably start undressing me if you want us to do this."

"Oh right." Blaine reached forward and undid Kurt's scarf from around his neck. They undressed each other slowly, kissing the patches of skin that were revealed as layers were peeled back. They stood up, each removing their own pants, standing and staring at each other when they both stood in only their underwear. "Are you ready?" Blaine asked, smiling up at Kurt.

Kurt nodded. They both went to sit back on the bed, reaching for each other and pressing their lips together, sinking down into the mattress.


	12. Chapter 12

Before he knew it, he and Blaine were both completely naked, their bodies pressed together on Blaine's bed. Kurt couldn't stop looking at Blaine. He was the first boy he'd seen nude in person and he was gorgeous. He ran his fingers up Blaine's rib cage, smiling as he twitched. "Are you ticklish?" Blaine pouted at him, Kurt leaning forward and capturing his out-turned lower lip between his teeth. "I think it's adorable."

Blaine fit himself between Kurt's legs, brushing his knee against Kurt's dick which was getting hard as they continued to make out on the bed. Kurt bucked up once into Blaine's knee before he stopped himself. Tonight wasn't about pleasure, it was about staking their claim together. There were important steps to follow if they wanted to make sure they were completely each other's for the rest of their lives.

Kurt rolled them over so that nothing was touching. He took a few deep breaths and looked over at Blaine, seeing that his eyes had darkened considerably. "You said you wanted me to be the one to..." He blushed. He really needed to learn to say the words if he was going to be having sex. "Do you have everything?"

Blaine nodded. "Before you... can I touch you?" Blaine rubbed his hands up and down Kurt's legs, stroking his fingers over Kurt's mark on his inner thigh.

"Please," was all Kurt could say, feeling his limbs turn to jelly at Blaine's gentle ministrations. Blaine kissed Kurt once before pulling away and trailing his eyes and fingers all over Kurt's body, leaving a trail of heat in their wake.

Blaine was surprisingly gentle and loving, stroking and caressing all the parts of Kurt that he never knew were such erogenous areas. Blaine smiled up at him when Kurt let out particularly loud moans. He even bent down and pressed a kiss to Kurt's dick, blushing up at him and moving back up Kurt's body to kiss him again.

"Ok, I'm... I'm ready." Blaine moved to lay down next to Kurt, pulling at him so that he could hover over him. He reached over to his bedside table and pulled out single condom and single use lube packet, handing them shakily to Kurt.

"You're still sure?"

"So sure," Blaine breathed. He pulled a pillow from under his head and placed it under his hips, displaying his entrance to Kurt, who nearly dropped the lube. He was even more gorgeous there, which Kurt hadn't even thought was possible. After staring for a few seconds, he shook himself and ripped open the lube, carefully spreading it onto his fingers. He smiled up at Blaine before he spread the boy's legs and moved his finger over to Blaine's hole.

Kurt pushed his finger in to the first knuckle, pressing a hot kiss to where his name was etched onto Blaine's hipbone, causing Blaine to gasp and arch his back. He sucked on the bone as he pushed his finger in and out, listening to Blaine whimper and watching as his hips moved up and down slightly. He was so tight, so Kurt was as gentle as he could be.

Kurt had an image of he and Blaine, their positions switched, Kurt's legs bent over Blaine's shoulders, his wet, red lips kissing and sucking on Kurt's mark, the perfect location to reach while he pumped in and out of Kurt's hole. Kurt shuddered at the image, adding a second finger and pumping them both in and out of Blaine.

He made sure to listen to Blaine and watch his expressions so that he could slow down or speed up as needed. Once Kurt had gotten three fingers inside of Blaine, he reached over for the condom, sliding it down on his erection.

Blaine lifted his head up and looked down at Kurt with a dazed expression. He reached down with his right hand and grasped Kurt's hand, squeezing tightly. "Are you ready to make me yours, forever?" he asked, voice so rough that it was like he was growling.

Kurt nodded, overcome with emotion. "Yes, as long as you'll be mine."

Blaine nodded, resituating his hips, preparing for Kurt to enter him. Kurt scooted closer to Blaine, lining himself up with his soulmate's entrance. They held each other's gaze as they finally became one, feeling their marks burn so hot that Kurt thought they were actually on fire. He went slowly, giving Blaine as much time as he needed to adjust. Kurt felt tears prick his eyes as he felt everything wash over him all at once.

Once he had bottomed out, he held himself there, stroking the tears from Blaine's eyes, murmuring praise at how beautiful Blaine looked and how good it felt. After what felt like an eternity, Blaine nodded and Kurt pulled back out, groaning at the drag. It didn't take long for Kurt to feel his balls seize up. He used one of his hands to stroke Blaine back to full hardness and he helped him over the edge before Kurt himself felt his orgasm hit him.

He must have blacked out for a moment because suddenly he was opening his eyes and looking up at Blaine's dopily smiling face. "Welcome back," Blaine said with an even bigger smile.

Kurt reached up and stroked his cheek. "Hello."

Blaine laid himself back down, curling up to Kurt, stroking hand over his chest. "I guess it's safe to assume it was as good for you as it was for me?"

Kurt just nodded, chuckling lightly. "Thank you... for giving me this."

Blaine nuzzled into Kurt, pressing a kiss to the spot of Kurt's chest where his heart was beating steadily. "Thank you for being so patient and gentle."

They twined their hands together and settled down for a well deserved post orgasm nap.


	13. Chapter 13

When they woke up, they were so thoroughly entwined that it took several seconds to pull themselves apart. Kurt blushed when he saw just how naked they were, pulling the blanket up to cover their torsos.

"Are you embarrassed?" Blaine asked, tilting his head slightly.

Kurt nodded, blanket pulled up to his chin, cheeks red.

"We're soulmates, Kurt. What we shared was nothing to be ashamed about and it's something we'll continue to share. You  _are_  okay with that, right?"

Kurt sighed, loosening his grip on the blanket. "If I'm completely honest, as much as I was ready for what we shared, I'm not ready to keep having sex."

Blaine sat up and looked at Kurt, his eyebrow raised.

"I'm a silly romantic. I had dreams of romantic dates and wooing and holding hands long before sex came into the picture. If you can, I'd like us to classify what we did as a one time act to confirm our relationship."

Blaine's face fell. "Did you not enjoy it?"

Kurt shook his head quickly, sitting up as well. "It's not that, Blaine. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It's just, that's not really who I am. I don't jump into bed with someone I'm not even dating. While I can't wait to experience that again, and experience so much more together, I'm just not ready for all of that right now. We've barely said more than a few words to each other since we were marked. Can't we start fresh? Get to know each other before we are intimate again? Please tell me this makes sense to you."

Blaine nodded, a frown still on his face. "As long as you don't expect me to forget it. It was the best thing to have happened to me in a long time. I could no sooner claw out my own heart than forget what we shared."

"I don't want to forget it either. You're right. It was beautiful and I don't regret it, at all. I just hoped we could go more slowly now, get to know each other better before we sleep together again."

"That makes sense." Blaine pressed a kiss to Kurt's forehead and then rolled out of bed, reaching to pull his clothes back on, throwing Kurt's clothes to him on the bed. "I guess it's time I took you out on a date, then."

"That would be lovely." Kurt got dressed, not bothering to look away from Blaine's body.

"I can feel you checking me out," Blaine commented, peeking over his shoulder at Kurt.

"Can you blame me? Before today I'd never seen that much skin on a person."

Blaine finished buttoning up his shirt, pulling Kurt into his embrace and whispering against his ear, "Thank you, again. I'm so lucky to get to call you mine."

Kurt hugged him, a bright smile on his face. "Just because we're soulmates doesn't mean things will be easy for you. I'm a hard man to please. I expect to be wooed like no other person has been wooed before. I promise the rewards will be well worth it." He bit down lightly on Blaine's jaw, pulling back with a smirk. "Also, you'll need to meet my Dad one of these days. He's a hard man to please, too. Good luck."

He watched with mild amusement while Blaine's face took on a look of horror. "Oh god, I hadn't even thought about that. How much did you tell him about our past?"

"Almost everything."

"He's going to kill me, isn't he?" Kurt just walked out the bedroom. "Kurt? Kurt! Please tell me he won't kill me!" Kurt snickered, listening as Blaine nearly fell down the steps in his haste to catch up with him. "Could you at least put in a good word for me?"

Kurt twined their fingers together. "Of course. Even if he's not happy with you, he has to accept that we're soulmates. We're fully claimed and nobody can take that away from us."

"While that's comforting, the idea of your Dad is still terrifying. If he's important to you, it's important to have him like me."

"When I told him about my mark, he was the one that convinced me to have an open mind. I'm sure everything will go okay."

Blaine closed the front door behind them and locked it, holding out his arm and walking Kurt to his car, opening the door for him with a gallant smile."So, in acknowledgment of how much we still need to learn about each other, I will admit that I have no idea what you like to eat."

"As long as it's not drowning in grease and doesn't have a visible face, I'm up for anything."

"Visible face?"

"Lobsters, crab, whole fish – I can't eat something that's staring back at me. Gives me the willies."

Blaine smiled. "Gotcha. No faces. How are you with Italian food?"

"I love it."

"Great." Blaine pulled out of his driveway and started down the road. "I've always wanted to be able to take someone to Breadstix for a real date."

"The last time I was there I ate the whole canister of those breadsticks. That was a true accomplishment because they kept refilling it. I must have eaten thirty of those suckers."

Blaine side eyed Kurt. "You actually ate those? They taste like pencil shavings."

"Are you critiquing my taste in food?" Kurt asked, hands on his hips.

"Not at all. You like me, so your taste must be impeccable," Blaine said with a smirk.

Kurt snorted. "That's because I haven't refined my tastes yet."

"Hey!"

Kurt laughed, reaching out and patting Blaine's leg. "I'm just kidding. You are quite the catch."

Blaine placed his hand on Kurt's. "That really means a lot that you think that. After what my parents did, I had a hard time believing I was of any worth."

"I am going to spend every day of the rest of our lives together making sure you know exactly how special you are."

They smiled at each other, holding hands the rest of the ride to the restaurant.


	14. Chapter 14

Blaine parked in the Hummel driveway, turning the car off and turning to look at Kurt. "I sort of didn't remember until now that your car's at my house. If it's alright with you, I'll pick you up for school and then bring you to my house after so that you can drive home."

"Pick me up at seven?"

Blaine nodded. They'd had a great time at dinner, discussing all their likes and dislikes, falling deeper into their feelings for each other with each new discovery. After sharing dessert, they reluctantly decided that it was time for Kurt to return home.

Blaine opened his door, stepping out and rushing over to Kurt's side, opening the door for him. He held out his hand to Kurt, helping him step out of the car. They held hands as they walked toward the front door of Kurt's house.

"I feel like I'm in an Austen novel," Kurt said with a smile. "Opening doors for me, pulling out my chair, walking me home; it's better than I imagined."

"We  _are_  a lot like Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth," Blaine said, giving Kurt a rueful smile. "Even after being marked, I was quite mean to you when we were first interacting and after much too long, I realized I was being an idiot and should acknowledge my feelings for you."

"Of course you would pick one of the most beloved literary characters of all time to compare yourself to." They had reached the front door.

"Duh." Blaine laughed, pulling Kurt closer to them. "I had a really great time today."

"Me, too," Kurt agreed.

"Would it be all right if I kissed you?" Blaine must have seen how confused Kurt looked, because he continued, "You said you wanted to do things the right way. I didn't want to assume that a kiss on the first date was appropriate."

"After everything we shared today," Kurt was proud at the fact that he didn't blush, "a kiss would definitely be appreciated."

Blaine smiled brightly, putting both of his hands on Kurt's face and leaning up to kiss him. Kurt felt an electric shock shoot from their combined lips down to his mark. The jolt of energy pushed Kurt closer to Blaine, opening his mouth and tangling their tongues together.

Just as Kurt was going lightheaded from the lack of oxygen, he heard the door open behind them and a throat get cleared. He and Blaine whipped apart, turning to see none other than Burt Hummel standing on the door step, frown on his face. "Dad!" Kurt squeaked.

"Why don't the two of you come inside so that we can talk?"

Kurt heard Blaine gulp behind him. He grabbed Blaine's hand and squeezed it once, hoping it was enough of a show of comfort for him. They followed Burt into the house. His Dad sat down in his armchair, indicating that the boys should sit on the couch. Kurt made sure to sit in a way that their legs were pressed against each other and he never let go of his hand.

"Am I safe to assume this is Blaine?" Burt asked.

"Yes, sir," Blaine asked, voice unsteady.

Burt raised in eyebrow in interest at the title, but didn't comment on it. "Which of you would like to explain to me why this is how I first meet you?"

Kurt cleared his throat. "As you know, Blaine's my soulmate. As you also know, we haven't had the best of beginnings."

Burt snorted. "Yeah, if by 'not the best of beginnings' you mean he made you come home crying more times than I can count."

Blaine frowned, turning to Kurt. "Is he serious? Oh, god, Kurt I'm so sorry."

Kurt shook his head. "We'll talk about that later." He turned back to his Dad. "Dad, the important thing is that he realizes his mistakes and we're going to work together to fix it. I didn't have you meet him before today because we were both working through things to get to this point. Today, we finalized our claim and I was going to introduce you soon, I promise."

Blaine colored and started fidgeting. "By finalizing, he didn't mean-we just- we didn't-"

"I know what my son meant, Blaine. While I've never necessarily approved of that step being so soon in the relationship, it's part of the process of becoming true soulmates, so I can't be upset that you were following the steps like everyone else."

Blaine sighed in relief, sinking back into the couch. "This is important to me.  _Kurt_  is important to me and I've made the promise to myself and to him that I will do everything in my power to never hurt him again."

"I'll hold you to that," Burt said. "I expect you to come over for Friday night dinner, seeing as you're basically family now."

Blaine gave a tentative smile. "You have no idea how much that offer means to me. My family life hasn't exactly been the best. I'll just have to make sure it's okay with my uncle."

Burt raised an eyebrow but didn't question Blaine any further. "Seeing as you both have school tomorrow, I think it'd be best for Blaine to be heading home."

Blaine nodded. "I'll pick you up at seven?" he asked Kurt, who nodded. They stood up together, Blaine reaching out and shaking Burt's hand. "Thank you for taking me into your family."

Burt nodded. "If you're good enough for Kurt, you are obviously good enough for me."

Blaine and Kurt made their way to the door. Kurt pulled Blaine to him and kissed him lightly, enjoying the pleasant tingle that his mark made when their lips touched. "Good night, Blaine."

"Good night." Kurt watched as Blaine made his way to his car, waving as he drove off. He closed the door and leaned against it with a huge smile on his face.


	15. Chapter 15

"Just because your soulmate is the head of Glee Club doesn't mean you'll start getting solos, Kurt. Protocol hasn't changed. You have to audition like everyone else." Rachel huffed.

"Because auditions are rewarded fairly in this club," Kurt said, frowning. "I've auditioned thirteen times since joining and I have yet to get even one line in a song."

"I guess your voice just isn't what Mr. Schue's looking for as a lead vocalist."

"Maybe I should try to sound more like you."

Rachel smiled and nodded. "I really do have an amazing voice that is worthy of solos. If you-"

"I just don't know if I can make my voice that screechy." Kurt continued, smirking at her and walking away.

Rachel let out a horrified gasp, stuttering and fluttering wildly.

"That really wasn't nice, Kurt," Blaine commented, joining Kurt as they met at a hallway intersection.

"I know, but she needs to be cut down to size every once in a while." Kurt linked their hands together. "There are other people in Glee that should be given a chance to shine. It's unfair that it's just her and you..." Kurt trailed off, face paling slightly, turning to look at Blaine. "I didn't mean that you always-"

Blaine chuckled. "Yes, you did. I know that I've gotten every solo and duet this year and I know how much it bothers you. I know you tried out for Tony last year and I got it instead."

"Yeah, it kind of sucks to have everything you've ever wanted handed over on a silver platter to your arch nemesis."

"Arch nemesis?" Blaine asked, eyebrow raised and his mouth upturned in a smile.

"Yes, Blaine. I hated you. You took everything from me and, ugh, you were so perfect and pretty and it was completely unfair." Kurt pouted, sticking out his bottom lip as far as he could, knowing he looked like he was five years old.

"Awwww, poor baby." Blaine cupped Kurt's face in his hand and kissed him with a loud "Mwa!"

"Thankfully you turned out not to be a  _total_  tool."

"Oh geez, thanks."

Kurt wrapped an arm around Blaine's waist and leaned into him. "You're pretty special, I hope you know that, Blaine."

" _You_  make me feel special," Blaine said, eyes alight. He leaned forward and pursed his lips for a kiss a voice from behind them stopping him short.

"Oh god, you guys make me want to puke." Both boys turned to see Santana standing behind them, making gagging noises. "You are so disgustingly sweet. If you're going to go at each other, at least get a room."

"You don't have any grounds to say anything to me, Santana," Kurt said, pointing at her. "You and Brittany are all over each other every chance you get. If anyone should have to 'get a room' it's you two."

"Why would we hide that away? I think everyone should be able to experience the wonderfulness that is two girls as hot as Brittany and me getting our mack on."

"I think you're the only one who feels that way, Santana," Kurt said.

"Besides," Blaine piped up from his side, "I always feel like saving those moments for just Kurt and myself makes them all the more special. It's something just for us. I like that I'm the only person who gets to experience those moments with him. When we're sitting together side by side and I look over at him and he's staring right back at me... the fact that I'm the only one who has seen that look in his eyes is pretty fantastic."

Kurt could only stand and stare at his soulmate, blinking slowly and gripping his hand tighter. He was about to comment on how beautiful that was, but Santana beat him to the punch.

"Gag me with a spoon. You guys are the sappiest people I've ever met. Admit it, Hobbit: you just like the fact that you're the only one who gets to see him come."

Kurt bristled with irritation. "You're just jealous that your relationship is nowhere near as meaningful as ours. Not everything is about sex and lust." Kurt turned to look at Blaine, sure his heart was in his eyes. "Sometimes just sharing the same space is more powerful than an orgasm. All I need is to meet his gaze across the room during class and I can feel his love. I am filled with this warmth and everything else falls away. A brush of fingers or a kiss to my cheek and my world is right." He finally looked back at Santana, whose mouth was open in wonder. "I hope you get to experience that one day."

Santana frowned and crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "Whatever." She stalked off, growling at a freshman who dared to get in her way.

They both watched her leave before turning to face each other. They smiled at each other, letting their eyes do the talking, communicating just how deeply they loved each other, even if they'd only claimed each other a month ago. They'd only just told everyone in Glee club about their claim, wanting a few weeks together to just be and experience each other before sharing their relationship with their peers. Overall, the reception had been fairly warm. There were several girls and guys who still glared at them when they walked past, angry that Kurt had been the one to get Blaine. They didn't let it faze them.

They were happy together and they were working through all their issues. They had a bright future to look forward to and they couldn't wait to experience everything life had to offer, together.


	16. Chapter 16

"I miss Paris," Sebastian stated, sighing. He swirled the last bit of coffee around his cup, sucking it down in one last gulp.

Chandler looked up from where he'd been reading the newest Cosmo. Sebastian noted with amusement that he'd been studying the "How To Better Please Your Man: 25 New Sexy Tips" article quite thoroughly. "Do you think you'll ever go back?"

"I guess that really depends on you." Sebastian reached over and slid his fingers through Chandler's. "I know you've been talking about New York for a long time. How would you feel about 'théâtre musical'," he said, the French rolling smoothly off his tongue, "instead of 'musical theater'? We could even live in England and do more of the West End if that's more your cup 'o tea."

Chandler smiled. "I always talked about New York because I knew I could never afford international traveling." His eyes became starry. "I've always secretly wanted to live in Europe. Downton Abbey is my favorite show."

"I know. You liveblog it every Sunday."

"And you reblog those posts," Chandler said, squeezing his hand.

"Because you're too goddamn adorable for your own good." Sebastian shook his head. "You're like a kitten. Any time I see you I just want to hug you and squeeze you and never let you go." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Chandler's ear, whispering, "Thanks to all those Cosmo articles, you've become my little sex kitten."

"I was going to comment on you cutting back the lewd comments, but then you had to go and say that, didn't you?"

Sebastian just smirked. "You love that about me."

Chandler gave a long-suffering sigh. "I do. So we'll move once you graduate? I can see about picking up extra credits so I can graduate the same year as you."

Sebastian trailed a finger down Chandler's rosy cheek, a fond smile cropping up on his face. "You are too sweet for offering do that. I don't want you to work yourself to the bone doing this. We'll wait until you've graduated to move." He trailed his finger over Chandler's lower lip, the boy grinning against the pad of it.

"What will you do with all that free time?"

Sebastian returned his smile. "Oh, I'm sure we can think of something." He winked at him.

The bell rang at the door and they both glanced up, spotting Kurt and Blaine stumble in, giggling, arms wrapped around each other.

"I'm so glad Kurt found Blaine. He's such a great guy." Chandler paused, glancing over at Sebastian. "I didn't mean to imply-"

Sebastian shook his head. "We've discussed this. We both pursued him before Marking Day. There's no need to pretend we didn't. Besides, if Blaine's willing, maybe we could convince him to share Kurt. I've always wanted to try a threesome."

Chandler colored, starting from his neck and continuing upwards to the tips of his ears. He smacked Sebastian's arm, hissing, "Sebastian!"

"What? Don't tell me you haven't imagined it." When Chandler just colored more, Sebastian continued, "I'll take your silence as an answer."

By that time, Kurt and Blaine had gotten their drinks and were glancing around for a place to sit. Sebastian waved them over, kicking out their chairs from them. Chandler fumbled with his magazine, rushing to stuff it in his bag before Blaine and Kurt saw.

"Hello, Kurt, Blaine," Chandler said, nodding to them both.

"Hi, Chandler. Hello, Sebastian," Kurt said, settling down in his chair.

Blaine nodded to them both and sat down next to Kurt, pulling open his drink to add sugar and creamer. "What are you both up to?"

"Not much. Discussing after graduation plans. What are you guys doing?" Sebastian reached over and placed his hand on Chandler's knee, something that helped settle his soulmate when he was getting slightly anxious.

Kurt turned to look at Blaine, an eyebrow raised. "We only just claimed each other, we haven't really had time to discuss our plans for the future."

"I was thinking New York," Blaine commented, testing his drink.

"Me, too," Kurt said, beaming at Blaine. They shared a look, heart eyes shining at each other. Normally it would make Sebastian want to gag, but after Chandler flashed him heart eyes nearly every day, he'd realized his heart was softening to the more gooey side of relationships. He was proud of himself, of how he hadn't asked Blaine exactly how good a lay Kurt was when Kurt had commented about claiming each other.

"Did you guys hear about Adam?"

Kurt turned to look back at Sebastian. "No? Did he find his soulmate?"

Sebastian nodded. "I saw him holding hands with the guy in the mall the other day. You'll never guess who it was." When neither Kurt nor Blaine guessed, Sebastian continued, "David Karofsky."

Kurt's eyes widened. "You're telling me that the boy who used to call me a fag every chance he got since First Grade is a gay as a pride float?"

Sebastian nodded, a smirk on his face. "What do you bet he's a bottom, too?"

Kurt shook his head. "I really wouldn't have guessed that he'd be gay. I hope they can find some happiness together."

Blaine turned to look at him, shock on his face. "You're giving well wishes to one of your bullies?"

"He may have been cruel and spiteful to me, but that doesn't give me the right to wish him ill. If I did, I'd be stooping to his level."

Blaine leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You are a much better person than me."

"I know," Kurt said, smiling at him. "So, what are you guys doing after graduation?"

They spent the next half hour nursing their drinks (Sebastian went up to replace his not too long into the conversation) and discussing life after graduation. They also set up a time to go on a double date later in the week.

As he and Chandler waved goodbye to Kurt and Blaine, Sebastian shook his head. Last year he never would have seen himself with a guy like Chandler, interacting with Kurt on a completely platonic level, but as Sebastian crawled into bed and pulled Chandler closer to him, nestling him against his chest, pressing a sweet kiss to his forehead, he knew he got everything he never knew he wanted.


	17. Chapter 17

Kurt was true to his word: no kisses (besides the one after their first date... and whenever Blaine would turn his puppy dog eyes on Kurt... and whenever Blaine would compliment him or do something really cheesily romantic... and... okay, they kissed a lot) and definitely no sex after they'd claimed each other. Instead, they spent their first year of their claim getting to know each other better.

Blaine would join the Hummel's for Friday night dinners every week and they'd spend all day Saturday at the mall or the park or wherever they felt like going that day. Towards the end of their Junior year of high school, Kurt told Blaine that he needed to keep May 2nd free, with no explanation of why. Blaine spent the rest of the week trying to figure out the significance of the date, but he was stumped.

The morning of Saturday May 2nd was perfectly warm and sunny, a cool breeze blowing softly through the town. Blaine pulled into the Hummel driveway, curious as to what Kurt had planned. All week, Kurt had been overly affectionate, even going so far as to pull Blaine into the janitor's closet for a heated makeout session that left Blaine breathless and terribly turned on. All Kurt had to do was shoot him  _that_  look and Blaine's mark flared up, mind completely blank except for  _WantNeedMustHaveKurt_.

Friday's Glee practice was torture. Kurt had worn his tightest pair of pants, shaking his ass for all he was worth during dance practice. He was constantly licking his lips and smiling at Blaine, winking once or twice for good measure. Blaine couldn't tear his eyes away from his soulmate when, complaining about how hot and sweaty he felt, he peeled off his outer zip up, catching Blaine's eye as he tied it around his waist. He must have noticed the staring because he smirked at Blaine and proceeded to slowly pop the first three buttons of his shirt, revealing pale, smooth skin that Blaine hadn't seen in much too long.

Everyone turned to stare at him when the groan he attempted to hold back exited his lips. Blaine blushed hotly and mumbled an excuse about needing the restroom before sprinting out of the auditorium. It took him awhile to calm down enough to return to practice, Santana smiling wickedly and winking at him when he came back. Kurt gave him a fond smile and a kiss on the cheek.

Dinner that night was nothing special except for Kurt's foot trailing absentmindedly up and down Blaine's calf during dinner, his hand on Blaine's thigh as they watched TV after. When Burt went to make them some more popcorn, Kurt leaned over and licked the shell of Blaine's ear, biting down on the lobe, whispering hotly in his ear, "If my Dad weren't coming right back, I'd lay you out on this couch and kiss you all over."

Blaine whimpered, hands tightening into fists. " _Kurt_!" Blaine bit down hard on his lip. Kurt sighed and pulled away when Burt returned, shooting Blaine a dark and smoldering look before facing the TV. Blaine couldn't focus on anything other than the heat of Kurt's body right next to him, his fingers trailing lightly up and down Blaine's arm.

Blaine knees were shaky as Kurt kissed him goodbye that night, reminding him to come back bright and early the next morning. Blaine mind was racing with pent up desire for his soulmate, already part of the way home before he realized he had walked, his car still in Kurt's driveway. He made his way quickly back to the Hummel's praying neither of them had noticed.

Blaine was brought back to the present when Kurt answered the door, pulling Blaine inside quickly and pressing him against the door and kissing him quite thoroughly. "I missed you," Kurt admitted, trailing his lips down Blaine's jaw line.

"You saw me last night."

"True, but I couldn't stop thinking about you... wishing it was you wrapped around me instead of my comforter." Kurt sucked on the skin at the edge of Blaine's jaw. "I hate having to pretend it's your hands instead of mine."

Blaine was nearly gone, head falling back to his the door behind him hard enough to knock himself silly. " _Ohmygod_ , Kurt. You can't just say that and not-" Blaine was cut off by Kurt's lips against his own.

"Have you figured out what day it is?" Kurt asked, continuing to kiss at every inch of skin he could reach on Blaine's neck and shoulders.

"I can barely remember my name right now," Blaine admitted, hands curled into fists at Kurt's back, using the last of his strength to keep from launching himself at Kurt and ripping all his clothes off.

Kurt pulled away and, instead of a smirk like Blaine had expected, his smile was soft. "One year ago today we finalized our claim."

Blaine felt a light go off in his head, but was still too far wrapped up in his desire to come to a conclusion.

"This entire week, knowing what I hoped would happen today, I could barely control myself." Kurt trailed his fingers down Blaine's chest, dragging his finger over Blaine's belt. "I know I'm ready for more with you and I was hoping you would be, too." Kurt looked back up at him. "Not everything, of course, but more."

Blaine felt his mouth go dry at Kurt's admission, but he forced his desire aside for a moment. He grabbed Kurt's hand and pulled him close, kissing him softly and pressing their foreheads together. "Before we do that, I want to say something to you. I don't even care if you don't respond."

Kurt looked at him with some confusion, but nodded.

"I love you," Blaine breathed, feeling his heart soar at finally being able to speak the words. "I've loved you for a while now, but it wasn't until this exact moment that I knew I needed to say it. You're everything to me and this year we've had together has meant more to me than any other time in my entire life. We've connected with each other on such a deep level without the physical intimacy that so many other relationships feel like they have to have and I love that about us. I can't wait to share more with you, but if all that we had together was what we've had this past year, it would be enough. To have you in my life to share in every experience is everything I've ever wanted."

Kurt blinked back tears, cupping Blaine's face in his palms. "I love you, too, Blaine. So much. Now, as beautiful as that speech was about us not needing the physical act of love, that wasn't what I had planned for today. I had hoped we could take the time to map out as much of each other's bodies as we could. Tongues or fingers, I'm not picky."

Blaine nodded slowly, afraid that if he said anything, the spell would be broken and he'd wake up at home alone with only his hand to take care of himself.

"Good. So, what do you say we go down to my room and we see where things go?"

Blaine nodded again, struck dumb at the thought that he'd get to be with Kurt again, in whatever capacity they were both comfortable with. If Blaine had any say in the matter, Kurt's shirt would be the first thing to go.

They made their way down the stairs to Kurt's bedroom, pausing at the threshold to kiss once more before they took that next step inside.


	18. Chapter 18

" _Bla-Blaine!_ " Kurt hissed and curled his toes around the arm of the couch, digging his fingernails into Blaine's back which was covered in sweat. Blaine paused, mouth making a popping sound when he pulled off Kurt's cock. "Oh my god, if you stop I'm going to kill you," Kurt growled, pressing Blaine's face closer to his crotch.

Blaine smirked and enveloped him in his lips, starting to suck again. Kurt lost the ability to form words, making grunts and groans and he felt heat pool in his belly, unable to stop his hips from thrusting shallowly in Blaine's mouth. Kurt had been worried about having sex right on the living room couch but his Dad wasn't due back for hours and they really hadn't been able to make it the long distance to his bedroom. He regretted their decision when the sound of the front door sounded, his Dad entering and dropping his stack of mail with a shout of horror when he spotted them.

Kurt's body jerked in surprise, his cock driving deep into Blaine's throat, causing his poor soulmate to start gagging, face growing red and he tried to suck in oxygen to his aching throat. Blaine,  _damn him_ , was fully clothed, bent over, head between his knees, struggling to breathe normally amidst coughs and hacks. Kurt tried to locate his pants, spotting them halfway across the floor. He groaned and pulled up his boxers, cringing as the fabric dragged across his very hard dick.

"What the hell is going on here?" Burt roared, still standing where he'd been when he first spotted them, look a mix of angry and horrified.

"Mr-" Blaine cleared his throat, still extremely raspy. "Mr. Hummel, I am  _so_  sorry."

"What did I tell you two boys about house rules?"

Kurt cringed. "That we be safe?" Kurt asked. When his Dad didn't look pleased, Kurt floundered for the answer his Dad was looking for. "That it not be in a place where you sit and to make sure you're not going to walk in on us?"

"Right. So, tell me  _what the hell_  is going on."

"We're being safe?" Kurt asked again, unable to come up with an answer that wouldn't get his Dad more pissed than he already was.

Burt raised his eyebrow. "Choking your boyfriend doesn't seem safe."

Kurt gasped. "Oh my god, Dad I wasn't-"

"That's all beside the point. This is never going to happen again, do you hear me, young man? I already know that you two are sexually active, I don't need to  _see_  it."

Blaine had finally caught his breath. "I promise this won't happen again."

"Good. Now I think it's best you both go elsewhere and do what you need to do to clean up and... finish whatever you started. Dinner will be ready in 15."

They both nodded frantically and left the room as quickly as possible, going downstairs to Kurt's room. When they were in the security of Kurt's locked bedroom, they finally turned to look at each other. They broke out in hysterical laughter, tears pouring down their cheeks, wheezing in breaths when they could.

Once they'd sufficiently calmed down, they sat down together on the bed. "Blaine, I am  _so_  sorry for earlier. I never meant to choke you."

"Kurt, your Dad walked in on me blowing you. I'll overlook any spasming you did in that moment. As long as you promise that you'll never try to asphyxiate me with your cock again, we should be good."

"God, do you ever think I'll be able to look him in the eye again?"

Blaine shook his head. "I still can't believe he knowingly lets us have sex. Like, don't most parents not allow anything under their roofs? Like 'doors open' and 'no being home alone' and all that?"

"He's always been more open than other parents. He figures we're going to do it and nothing he does can stop it, so why not let us do it somewhere safe?"

"Did I ever mention I love your Dad?"

"You did. He loves you, too." Kurt kissed Blaine with a loud smack. "I love you most."

"I love you most, too. Well, you're tied for first place with my bow ties."

Kurt looked offended and pulled away from Blaine. "As hot as it would be to have sex while you're wearing only a bow tie, I don't do threesomes. I'm afraid the ultimatum of 'it's them or me' has come up."

Blaine looked up at the ceiling as if contemplating his answer. "You know what? Fuck the bow tie. You're it for me."

Kurt giggled and pulled Blaine closer and they pulled each other into a kiss, nowhere near the frantic nature of their kisses upstairs that started everything. It was more of a warm and soft kiss. After fifteen minutes was up, they went to go back upstairs.

"Ummm, Kurt. You may want to put on some pants."

Kurt looked down and, wouldn't you know it, he was still only wearing his boxers.


	19. Chapter 19

"Are you  _sure_  he won't come home early?" Kurt asked, pulling away from Blaine's needy kiss.

Blaine sighed. "I'm certain. He said he's spending the whole day at the Pietruszewski's and that he'd bring us home some dessert. That means he'll be there at least through dinner, which isn't for another two hours. Can we please get back to making out?"

"As long as you're certain." Kurt fell back into their kiss, closing his eyes and letting himself go, taking in all the heat and energy flowing through them. "Are you sure we shouldn't go to your bedroom, just in case?" Kurt asked, breathless.

Blaine just glared at him and pulled him closer, leaning Kurt backwards on the couch so that they could deepen their kiss. Kurt felt Blaine's finger nimbly undoing the button and zipper of Kurt's pants, shucking them down Kurt's legs before he also pulled his underwear down. Blaine scooted down the couch until he was face to face with Kurt's cock, leaning down and taking it into his mouth with relish.

Kurt let his head fall back onto the arm of the couch, twisting his fingers into Blaine's curls. He'd been hard for a few hours now, ever since Blaine whispered in his ear at Glee that he wanted to make up for the botched blowjob from last weekend, so it didn't take long for Kurt to feel the telltale signs of orgasm coming on.

Just as he started coming, the front door opened. Thankfully, Cooper didn't spot them right away, as the couch faced away from the door. Blaine, bless him, kept his mouth around Kurt until he'd stopped coming. Blaine popped off Kurt and peered over the edge of the couch at his Uncle, who had just come into the room. Kurt hastened to pull up his pants, not quite getting redressed before Cooper saw him.

Cooper simply smirked at both boys. "I was going to ask if you were hungry for dessert, but I'm guessing your stomach's a bit full, Blainey." Kurt knew his face was bright red, completely embarrassed at being caught and Cooper's blasé attitude about it all. "Bee Tee Dubs, Blainers: you got a little schmutz there," Cooper said, pointing at his cheek and chortling.

"Oh my god!" Blaine exclaimed, wiping his hand furiously at where some of Kurt's come had dribbled out of his mouth.

"I'm going to kill you!" Kurt hissed at Blaine, sitting upright and crossing his arms over his chest. "I  _told_  you that we should have gone to your bedroom!"

Blaine shrugged. "How was I to know he'd be here early? He'd said he'd be gone all day! It's only 2."

"Whatever. I'm going home."

"No!" Blaine whined, pathetically. "Don't leave me alone with him. He'll spend all night making innuendos."

"It's your own fault." Kurt stood up, rearranging his clothes for a moment before huffing and bending over to give Blaine a quick kiss. "I love you, but right now I'm too embarrassed to stay here. I'll text you later."

Kurt made his way to the door, waving goodbye to Blaine before leaving.

Just as he was putting his seatbelt on in his car, his phone buzzed with a text, followed quickly by a few more.

_Kurt, please come back. It hasn't even been 60 seconds and he's made three come jokes._

_Oh god, now he's talking about what we could do with the whipped cream canister he brought home._

_Now he's telling me about this toy he thinks we need to buy._

_HELP_

_kurtsie, its coop. get ur perky little ass back here. i have sum great tipz for u guys._

Kurt nearly dropped his phone at the last text.

_if u don't come rn, im calling ur dad_

"Shit." Kurt undid his seatbelt and made his way back towards the house. He knocked before entering, seeing Blaine's grateful expression over the couch, Cooper smirking from the armchair next to him.

"Welcome back. Why don't you take a seat over there and we'll get started."

"Started?" Kurt asked warily, sitting himself next to his soulmate.

"I'm sure Mr. H has given you the sex talk, but it's my turn now."

"Oh god," Blaine groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "Please don't."

"Sorry, B, but you making it so that I had to walk in on you sucking off your soulmate earns me the right for this."

"Fine. Just get on with it."

The next hour was probably the most embarrassing Kurt had ever lived through. Cooper got out paper and made diagrams and bar graphs and drawings and went so in-depth that Kurt doubted that Cooper hadn't dabbled in gay sex himself, seeing how knowledgeable he was.

"And that boys, is how you can achieve orgasm with only a single finger."

Blaine looked like he'd zoned out long ago while Kurt struggled to remove all the images Cooper had put into his head. "Ummmm, thank you?"

"You're most welcome. Now, what do you say we go out for dinner and you guys can ask any questions you may have."

"I think we're good," Blaine responded, shaking his head. "That was... very descriptive."

"Hopefully you now know about everything you've ever wondered about."

"And about everything we never wanted to know," Kurt muttered.

"Let me know if you need anything further assistance. I can get you a print out of all the reference materials if you need."

"No, thanks. I think I'll just head home. I'm sure my Dad is wondering where I am." Kurt booked it out of there, not even saying goodbye to his soulmate or his insane uncle. This was a day Kurt was sure to never forget, no matter how hard he'd try.


	20. Chapter 20

"Blaine Anderson." Figgins called out. Blaine took a deep breath and made his way up the stage. He accepted the diploma from the Principal, glancing out into the gym and Cooper and Mr. Hummel clapping and waving from their seats. Finn's mom, Carole, who was admittedly a gorgeous red head was sitting next to him and Blaine noticed Burt couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He was sure it would only be a matter of time before he, Finn, and Kurt found out they were dating.

Blaine stood next to Artie and all the other seniors with last names starting with A, clapping when his friends Rachel, Mike, and Tina accepted their diplomas. Once Finn came to get his diploma, he knew Kurt's would be soon. He nearly bounced up and down when Kurt's name was called, barely holding back his whoop.

Blaine wasn't sure how, but Kurt looked delectable in his cap and gown. There was a large brooch pinned to the area of the gown where a lapel would sit if there was one. Kurt winked at Blaine when he accepted his award, smiling out into the crowd and waving.

The rest of the ceremony flew by. Finally they were allowed to leave, the Glee kids making their way to the choir room for a last New Directions celebration. Kurt and Blaine held back from the group as they walked down the hallway, grabbing each other's hands and entwining their fingers. "Can you believe it's over?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, but I'm glad it is."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, now we get to start the rest of our lives, together. We're moving to New York in a month and I couldn't be more excited."

"Can you believe it? You at NYU, me at FIT? We made it out of this little town."

They hugged each other, giggling into each other's ears.

"Guys! Hurry it up!" They pulled away, shooting an embarrassed smile at Finn who stood in the choir room doorway. They had sparkling grape juice in cups that they were passing around laughing over stories from the four years they'd spent in that room. Kurt hung back, observing more than participating because, in all honesty, he'd never been a true part of the group. He never got any solos or features and none of them had paid attention when he'd been bullied by the jocks through school. No one came to see him when he'd stayed at the hospital with his father as he recovered from the heart attack, Blaine his only companion at the whole school.

Once they'd been claimed, Blaine had tried drag Kurt into the outings and gatherings, but Kurt always felt like a third wheel so he started making excuses and gradually Blaine stopped forcing him to come along. Kurt never begrudged Blaine for being friends with the rest of the club, but he was insanely jealous. It was so easy for his soulmate to win people over.

"Kurt, it's time to go." Kurt looked up and saw his Dad in the doorway.

"Blaine, I'm going to head out. Text me when you get home." He gave Blaine a quick kiss on the cheek and waved goodbye to everyone who was still in the choir room. When Kurt got outside, he noticed that he and his father weren't alone. "Mrs. Hudson?"

"Please call me Carole."

"Okay?" Kurt looked to his Dad for explanation.

"Kurt, I suppose now is a good a time as any to tell you: Carole and I have been dating for a few weeks now." Burt smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

Kurt smiled, feeling his heart swell. "That's great! I'm so happy for you both."

"Thank you, Kurt," Carole said, reaching out and smoothing a hand down his arm. "Neither of us wanted this to become something you or Finn would resent us for."

Kurt shook his head. "I'm glad you've found each other. Especially since I'm going to New York and Finn's going to California. You'll have each other, so neither of you will be alone."

"Exactly," Burt said, smiling at Carole. "Carole was hoping you'd help her make dinner tonight."

"Sure. What were you thinking of making?"

"I wasn't sure. Do you have any recommendations, Kurt?" Carole asked.

Kurt and Carole started discussing dinner plans, Burt following behind them, smiling as two of his favorite people were bonding.


	21. Chapter 21

Blaine looked up when he heard the dull thud. Kurt had just dropped his head onto his desk, face smooshed into his books and papers, hair all askew.

"Sweetheart?" Blaine called out, concerned. Kurt's answering groan was loud and long. Blaine set his pencil down and walked over to his soulmate, reaching out and massaging his shoulders. He pressed his lips to the top of Kurt's spine, causing him to shiver and his body to relax almost instantly. "Everything okay?"

Kurt sat up slowly, rolling his shoulders to relieve the last bit of tension still there. "Economics is kicking my ass." He pointed to where his notes were spread over the desk. "Am I losing my mind or did the words actually turn into Latin?"

Blaine chuckled. "How about we both take a break from our work for a few hours?"

"Sounds good to me. We could catch up on a show or two."

"Or," Blaine let the word drag out a few seconds, "we could have some fun in bed. Some of those positions you were doing in yoga today, god, Kurt I could barely keep my hands off you."

Kurt perked up at that, a hungry grin taking over his mouth. He stood up swiftly, nearly knocking his chair over and grabbed Blaine's hand, pulling him across the apartment to their bedroom. Kurt let go of his hand in the doorway and made his way to the bed, unbuttoning his shirt halfway. He looked up at him through his eyelashes, an entirely too innocent look on his face. "How do you want me?"

Kurt sat himself down, his right leg bent under him, his left leg straight up in the air and touching his nose. "The Heron?" He dropped his leg down and got onto both knees, raising himself up so that he had both feet planted on the bed and was sticking his ass up high enough in the air that it was practically at eye level for Blaine. "The Dolphin?" Before Blaine could move forward and touch, Kurt spread his legs apart and settled into a new position, smiling wickedly at Blaine. "This one is my favorite. I've almost gotten limber enough to blow myself in this position. Should I try?"

Blaine nearly choked as he sucked in a harsh breath and stumbled forward, falling into his soulmate and ripping all his clothes off. Once they were both naked together, they slowed down, kissing and sucking on every inch of skin they could, rolling and rocking together as they'd done for years now. When Kurt was finally underneath Blaine, he gripped both of Kurt's legs, bending them over his shoulders, Kurt locking his ankles behind Blaine's head. He smiled down at Kurt's mark, clean and crisp on his thigh. He bent down and kissed it softly, feeling a tingling warmth on his hip in a perfect accompaniment. He opened his lips and bit down on on the mark, relishing the jolt of pain his own mark made and the gasp Kurt gave. He quickly soothed the reddened spot with his tongue.

Blaine and Kurt made love in this way more often than any other. In their first year together, Kurt had shyly admitted the fantasy of Blaine sucking and biting his mark while between his legs and it was their favorite way to be together, so intimate and so close.

Once Blaine was pleased with the bruise beneath his name, he settled himself more firmly against his soulmate's legs. "You ready?"

Kurt nodded, digging his fingers into the bedding when Blaine entered him. Blaine kept the pace steady, slowing down when he could feel Kurt tighten around him, picking back up when Kurt's breathing had returned to normal. When both of them were shaking with need, he started thrusting harshly, nearly knocking their lamp off the table.

They were both boneless after they came, floating on a cloud of relief and ecstasy. Blaine cracked open an eye when he felt Kurt's slim fingers trailing down his chest. "I'm going to need a while before I can go again," he mumbled.

Kurt chuckled and continued trailing his fingers down to Blaine's hip, tracing the letters of his mark. "Mine."

Blaine smiled at him, eyes still half lidded. "Yours, forever." He made a grabby motion and Kurt acquiesced, curling up into his side and they drifted off into sleep.


	22. Chapter 22

"I love that my name is here," Kurt commented, licking along the line of Blaine's hipbone. "It's like I've taken possession of this part of your body. Mine." He bit down on the skin, sucking harshly before smiling up at Blaine. The burn on the back of his thigh was a delicious feeling that Kurt savored every time he bit or sucked on Blaine's mark.

"Yours," Blaine groaned, "only yours."

"Damn right." Kurt smirked. "Turn over."

Blaine didn't even hesitate. He flipped himself over on the bed. Kurt admired the image of his soulmate laying prostrate beneath him. He trailed his fingers over the swell of Blaine's ass a few times before he went onto his hands and knees over his body. He pressed a kiss to the nape of Blaine's neck before opening his lips and pressing his tongue there, trailing it slowly down his spine and then, finally, tracing it down between his ass cheeks, over his rim, circling once before pulling away. Blaine whined pathetically.

"Tell me what you want."

"You," Blaine breathed, turning his head so that he could look at Kurt.

Kurt giggled lightly. "You have me. You'll always have me. What else do you want?"

"You. Inside me. Now. Please." Each word was punctuated with a heavy gasp.

"If that's what you want, you'll have to do a few things first for me while I go grab a few things. While I'm gone, I need you to grab the lube and get yourself ready by the time I'm back."

Kurt stood up and made his way to their guest bedroom, listening as he heard his soulmate scrambling around in their bedroom for a few moments before he heard him alternately groan and hiss. It only took two minutes to find what he was looking for, so he made his way back to their bedroom, watching his soulmate's fingers pump in and out of himself, head tipped back onto his pillow.

Once Blaine started rasping out Kurt's name, he finally reentered the room, holding his obtained items behind his back. "Are you good and ready?"

Blaine nodded up at him, sweat pooling on his forehead.

"Good." Kurt brought his hands in front of him, three black scarves dangling from his fingers. "I'd like to play around with sensory deprivation."

"Oh god, yes, Kurt, please."

Kurt crawled up onto their bed, tying Blaine's hands to their headboard and tying the last scarf around Blaine's eyes. This was going to be fun.


	23. Chapter 23

"Babe, I can't get the buttons done up. Could you help me?"

Kurt peeked out from his changing room, hiding behind the door. "We're doing this separately because we're not supposed to see each before the wedding."

"I'm not going to choose this one, so you can see it. Please help?"

"Ugh, puppy dog eyes. Fine." Kurt huffed and came out from the room. "Be glad I don't like this tux either."

"I'll help." They both looked up to see the tailor, Puck, standing there. "The buttons aren't quite working? I'd be more than happy to help you." He winked at Blaine.

Kurt glared at him, not liking the leer on the man's face. "No thank you, I think I can handle it."

Blaine opened the door wider to let Kurt in. He pointed to his shirt which hung open on his torso. "I'm having trouble with these buttons."

"Right..." Kurt said, smirking at him. He walked up to his fiance and placed his hands on Blaine's stomach, scratching his fingers into the hair there. "This wouldn't be a ruse to get me alone with you in here, wouldn't it?"

Blaine gasped and put a hand to his heart. "I wouldn't dare!"

"Too bad," Kurt said, stroking his hands up Blaine's chest. "It would have worked."

"Really?"

"Too late now." Kurt pulled his hands away, taking one step towards the door before he felt Blaine's hands on his waist. His soulmate made quick work of undoing Kurt's shirt, pulling it off his shoulders far enough that he could press his lips to Kurt's spine. When Blaine's tongue started trailing down his back, he could feel the heat trail from the point of contact to his mark, his cock twitching in his pants, the rest of his body melting into a huge state of both relaxation.

"Any way I could change your mind?" Blaine asked, biting down on Kurt's hipbone.

"That's working pretty well." Kurt turned to face Blaine. "So, did you notice your admirer?"

"Admirer?"

Kurt sighed. "The tailor couldn't take his eyes off you. When he was measuring you, he was groping you. He almost tripped trying to get in here to help with your buttons. I think I need to show him that you're mine." Kurt put his hands on Blaine's shoulders and shoved him against the wall.

"Right here?" Blaine asked, eyes widening and pupils dilating. His head fell back into the wall behind him when Kurt bent forward and started sucking on Blaine's neck, nipping and biting until he was sure Blaine's neck was burning. Kurt unbuttoned Blaine's pants, reaching in and gripping him tightly.

"You liked the attention from him, didn't you?"

"No," Blaine ground out, hips pushing up into the circle of Kurt's fist.

Kurt squeezed his hand, stilling the movement. "Tell the truth."

"... yes. I knew it would set you off. I knew it'd make you jealous."

"Oh, really? And what would that accomplish?"

"I knew you'd want to make me yours."

"Who do you belong to?" Kurt picked up the movement, speeding up and twisting.

"You.  _Oh god_ , you. Kurt, ohmygod please don't stop."

"You do realize he's probably still outside the door."

Blaine didn't respond to that, just pumping his hips faster.

"This turns you on, doesn't it? Knowing he could hear you, know what we're doing in here?"

Blaine nodded, biting his lip hard, groaning under his breath. "So good," he bit out.

When Kurt could tell Blaine was getting close, he knelt down and took Blaine's cock into his mouth, sucking hard until he came, swallowing it all down. He caught Blaine as he collapsed, smiling at his soulmate who had turned into a puddle of goo on the dressing room floor, feeling a huge surge of pride at how quickly he was able to blow his mind.

Once Blaine had recovered, they walked out hand in hand, nearly running into the tailor who was walking out of a changing room. "I think we're all set, Puck." Kurt said, handing back the items. "We're going to think on it and then let you know which ones we liked."

"Klaine!" he called out, smiling brightly. Kurt had been confused when he'd greeted them as such when they'd first entered the building. He'd explained that he created couple names for the pairs coming in for fittings."You can-Damn, Kurt. That is the most massive hickey I've ever seen. You've got quite the mouth, don't you? Just what were you guys up to in there?"

Kurt felt his face heat up, Blaine choking next to him. "Trying on tuxes, obviously." Kurt said, silently begging Puck to leave it all alone.

"I never knew blow jobs were part of that process."

"How did you- we weren't- what?" Blaine said, squeaking slightly.

"I can smell it on you."

"Gross." Kurt said. "Why are you wearing a tuxedo?"

"This girl I'm seeing's parents are fucking loaded. They're hosting a black tie dinner party that I have to attend, so I need to get myself a nice tux."

"How adult of you, meeting the parents and everything."

"It's the only way she'll let me into her pants."

"And, now you sound like yourself. Blaine, why don't you go get the car started. I'll be right out."

Blaine glanced between Puck and Kurt, looking worried. At Kurt's nod, he left them there.

Kurt turned to Puck, letting his face fall into as menacing an expression as he could. "I'd appreciate in the future if you kept your eyes and hands off my fiance."

"Can you blame me? He has a gorgeous ass. Even guys like me want a touch."

Kurt glared at him. "He's mine. You come anywhere near him and you lose a testicle."

Puck put his hands up in surrender. "Gotcha."

"Good." Kurt turned and left, determined to never see that horny bastard ever again.

How was he to know that Puck at that very second was completing his last year of college and would meet Finn, his soulmate, and be a huge part of Kurt and Blaine's life in only a few years.


	24. Chapter 24

"You hit me, Dad!" Blaine screamed, staring his father down. "Not just once. You made me afraid to be myself. You made me push away someone who's come to mean a lot to me. I hated you. I hated you and Mom. She never said it, but I think your hatred of me passed onto Mom. To you, I was nothing more than a disappointment. Why wasn't I ever enough for you? Why did you hate me? What did I do to displease you?" Blaine finished screaming, tears pouring down his cheeks and sitting hard on the couch. "You can't just come back here spouting off all this crap about rehab and therapy and expect me to welcome you with open arms. You ruined my life. I'm still recovering from everything you did to me."

His father was silent, eyes wide and hands clenched on the arms of the chair. His mother was crying in a chair next to him, head hung with a look of embarrassment on her face. Cooper stood next to the couch, a hand on Blaine's shoulder. Kurt sat on the couch next to Blaine, a hand on his knee. "Before you say anything, William," Cooper said, "I need you to know that nothing demeaning or hurtful will be allowed in this house. When you asked me if you could come see Blaine, I was ready to say no. You've been nothing but awful to him and he deserves so much better than you. Blaine said he wanted to meet, so I'm allowing it to happen. Think carefully about what you want to say to Blaine and Kurt because this is your one chance. If you screw it up, we're done."

Blaine smiled thankfully up at his Uncle before turning to face his Dad.

Blaine's father frowned, before sitting up straighter. "There are no words I can say to make up for all that, Blaine. I know I was never a father to you and I didn't treat you with the respect and love you deserved. I know that I shouldn't get a second chance from you, but I'm asking for it anyway. You're my son and I want to make things better between us. I want to be part of your life and with that, Kurt's life. I don't want to lose the opportunity to see what you've done with your life so far and what you'll do with the rest of it. I don't know if there's any way I can earn your trust back. I understand if you feel it's too late. Just know that I regret everything I did and everything I said. I was wrong to think that you were anything less that who you were supposed to be."

"Yes, you were wrong," Blaine said, voice full of venom. "There's nothing wrong with who I love. Did you know you made me rethink everything I thought I knew about soulmates? I thought that they were a lie and that I'd never find someone who'd love me and take care of me. I thought I was a mistake and a disappointment and that whoever they paired me with would be another person to hate me."

His father flinched, face falling.

Blaine looked over to Kurt and allowed himself to smile, feeling the love pouring out of his soulmate who returned his smile. "Kurt is everything I ever wanted or needed in a partner. He makes me feel worthwhile and I feel like I'm a good person when I'm around him. He gives me the motivation to become better and to do more with my life. He makes me feel like I'm the most amazing person in the world. He's my soulmate and I'm going to love him forever." He looked back at his father and mother. "I wish that you could have had that. I don't know what happened to end things between you, but I'm so sorry that had to happen. I can't forgive you, not right now. For nearly 15 years, I haven't seen or heard from you, so why would I have any reason to think you've changed? I'm glad you're working on getting better, Dad, really I am. And Mom, I'm so happy you're willing to learn more about me and Kurt, but I just can't take you at your word, I hope you understand that. For years I wanted nothing more than for you to be proud of me, but it's been too long. I've grown up with a different family and I've learned things about myself without you. I'm willing to give it a shot if you're serious about making this better. I just really need some time alone to think everything through."

His mother nodded, looking up at her son. "Thank you for giving us this chance, Blaine. We'll do everything we can to show you how serious we are about fixing everything wrong between us all. I know we've never shown it before, but all we care about is your happiness. I'm sorry it took so long for us to realize that."

"Kurt and I are getting married and, had circumstances been different, I would have wanted you there," Blaine admitted, reaching out and grabbing Kurt's hand. "But they aren't different. And our wedding is supposed to be happy and full of family and friends who love us and want to share in our happiness and I really don't think either of you are ready for that. I hope that some day you can come to accept what I have with Kurt and we can find a way to reconnect." Blaine stood up once more and pulled Kurt to his feet next to him. "I'm going to go home. I need some time alone to think things through. How long are you back in town?"

"As long as it takes, son." His father said. "We're committed to seeing this through and find a place back in your life."

Blaine took a deep breath, biting his lip before responding. "Okay. I'll call you when I'm ready to talk. Take care of yourselves." He nodded to them before leaving the house. Once he got into Kurt's car, he finally collapsed, letting all the emotions pour through him. He started sobbing uncontrollably, his whole body shaking with all the pent up feelings from the time he heard his parents wanted to speak with him through now. Kurt reached out and put his hand on Blaine's knee and placing a kiss on his temple, stroking his other hand through Blaine's curls. Blaine shuddered as he felt the relaxation rush through him at Kurt's touch, the conflict of the sobbing and relaxing throwing his heart for a loop.

"Take as long as you need, love. I know you need to get it all out," Kurt said, continuing to stroke his hair.

"C-can we g-go home?" Blaine asked through his tears, blinking up at Kurt. "I j-just really wa-want to hold yo-you."

Kurt nodded. "I can make you some of your favorite tea and we can just lay in bed all day."

They made their way back to Kurt's house, Blaine calming down slightly during the ride. He'd finally stopped crying by the time they pulled in the driveway and he felt weak, leaning heavily on Kurt as they made their way inside. He was thankful they'd found the apartment last year, a home just for the two of them. He really didn't want to see their old roommates and have to explain everything to them. Instead, Kurt walked him to the bedroom, putting him in bed and pulling the covers up over him before going to the kitchen to make his tea.

Blaine was almost asleep by the time Kurt came back, a tray of cookies and his mug of tea on top of it. "Hi, sweetheart. Think you're ready to have this, or did you want to nap first?"

Blaine shook his head. "I'd love the tea. Thank you."

"It's no problem. I know how much tea helps your nerves."

"Not the tea." Blaine smiled up at Kurt. "For being there with me today. For convincing me to go. I know nothing's really changed right now, but I feel like this is a good step, don't you?"

Kurt nodded. "As long as they're serious, I think this will be good. Don't ever feel like you owe them anything, though. If they don't follow through, you are okay to say no. They have no right to be a part of your life if you're not one hundred percent happy."

"I know." Blaine kissed Kurt deeply before taking a sip of his tea and sighing in pleasure. "Can we put in Moulin Rouge?"

Kurt raised his eyebrow. "You know that movie makes you cry. Aren't you all cried out?"

Blaine smiled. "I'll be fine. Besides, everybody loves the dancing hoes."

Kurt chuckled, kissing Blaine on the temple before going to their cabinet to pull out their well-used copy of Moulin Rouge, sliding it into their player and curling up on the bed with him.


	25. Chapter 25

"If everyone could please leave the floor, it is time for the first dance for our grooms."

Kurt and Blaine smiled at their friends and family, making their way to the dance floor. The beginning strains of 'Come What May' wafted from the speakers, the lights dimming so that the only light shining was on the happy couple.

Blaine pulled Kurt close, resting his head on Kurt's shoulder and winding his arms around his waist. They both hummed along with the song, breathing deeply and pressing together as close as they could. "I love you so much," Kurt whispered against Blaine's ear. "I'm so happy right now. Everything is so perfect, right in this moment."

Blaine pressed a kiss to Kurt's neck, smiling. "You make me so happy, Kurt. I just wish my parents could have been here. That they'd understand how happy I am."

"I know your Dad is going to rehab and your Mom is working to accept everything, but it's going to take a long time. It's a miracle they're willing to try, so we should look at that as a good thing."

"You're right," Blaine breathed, pressing a kiss to Kurt's neck. "Thank you for helping me try and fix things with them. I wouldn't have had the courage if it weren't for you."

"You're so brave, Blaine. I just wish you could see that in yourself." Kurt nuzzled his shoulder. "You're everything good in this world and I'm so lucky you're mine."

"I'm the lucky one," Blaine argued, pulling away slightly so that he could look his husband in the eye.

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that point." Kurt smiled and leaned down to kiss him, the last chords of their song echoing across the room. There was applause from their family and friends, whom they turned to greet with bright smiles.

Burt and Carole were there to hug them, Cooper right behind, pulling the boys into a hug and offering their congratulations. Kurt smiled his thanks and made his way over to the bar, grabbing his husband and himself big glasses of champagne. Blaine beamed at Kurt when he saw the champagne, accepting it gratefully and taking a large sip. The clinking of glasses filled the air, so Blaine set his drink down, pulling Kurt into his arms and kissing him deeply. Kurt still taste the bubbly champagne on Blaine's tongue, sucking on it for a moment before letting Blaine pull away, his eyes slightly dazed.

Everyone applauded, going back to their cake and conversations. The D.J. started up the music, encouraging everyone to come to the dance floor. Unlike most weddings where the newly married couple would make the rounds greeting everyone who had come, they were allowed to sit at their table and fully eat their meal and partake in a few dances, truly enjoying their reception before greeting the family and friends who had come to their wedding.

Finally, it came time for the dollar dance. The boys decided that all the money would be donated to the local arts fund and their family and friends were more than happy to donate, spending nearly an hour dancing with the grooms. Sebastian pulled Kurt uncomfortably close, almost grinding with him before Kurt pinched him hard enough to leave a bruise, causing Sebastian to yelp and pull away. Chandler came next, shyly holding out his hands and pulling Kurt into a respectable embrace, swaying for a few moments before thanking him and making his way back to Sebastian.

Kurt looked over to see Blaine still trapped in Brittany's arms, shooting a desperate glance, mouthing ' _help me_ ' to him. Kurt giggled and called out to Brittany, who turned and made her way over to Kurt, looping her arms around his neck and pecking him directly on the lips. "You both taste like strawberries," she murmured, nuzzling up into his neck. "Santana tastes like bean dip most of the time."

Kurt just nodded, smiling. Blaine was now dancing with Cooper. Cooper was twisting and twirling Blaine in intricate steps, causing both of them to nearly trip on their feet at one point, falling into each other laughing loudly. Santana stepped up to dance with Kurt next, having to pry Brittany from his arms. "I prepared your honeymoon suite with a few extra... supplies. I just wanted to make sure you knew who to thank when you saw your gifts."

Kurt shook his head. "I don't think I even want to know."

"Trust me, you'll have a lot of fun with it all." She pulled away and went to find Brittany who was swaying back and forth with one of the caterers.

The endless line of people was finally gone and Kurt was able to fall into Blaine's arms, kissing him hard and feeling his mark flare back to life, his body warming up with all the love Blaine was giving him with his kiss.

"I'm going to give you forewarning that Santana apparently bought us some supplies for tonight."

Blaine hummed against Kurt's neck where he was trailing his mouth up and down.

"Knowing her, we'll have a basket full of the most crazy toys that have ever been made."

"I remember her describing this prostate toy she used with some guys before Brittany that sounded fun," Blaine commented, blowing against the trail he'd left on Kurt's neck, causing him to shiver.

"I am both turned on and disgusted because now I'm going to be picturing Santana when we're fucking tonight."

"I'm sure I can distract you," Blaine purred.

There was a tap on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt pulled away slightly from Blaine and turned to see his father standing there. "We're headed out for the night, boys. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Dad." Kurt hugged his father tightly, waving to Carole who stood near the entrance of the tent.

Kurt and Blaine continued dancing, saying goodbye to everyone who was leaving until finally it was just the two of them on the dance floor. They thanked the D.J. before making their way to their hotel suite, leaning heavily on each other and giggling when they nearly tripped going up the stairs.

It took three tries for Blaine to get the key to work in the slot, but they were finally successful, tossing their clothes here and there as they fumbled their way to the bed. There was a huge basket on their bed brimming with all the latest and greatest sex toys and five jumbo bottles of lube. Blaine quickly located the prostate toy, getting Kurt's promise that they'd try it out and anything else interesting once they got home. Tonight they wanted to make love just the two of them.

Before they lay down, Kurt pulled Blaine close and kissed him softly. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."


	26. Chapter 26

Kurt nearly fell over on their welcome mat as he attempted to take off his shoes while being three sheets to the wind. He really shouldn't have done those last three shots with Cameron. Once Kurt was successful removing his shoes, he tiptoed across the front hallway towards the kitchen, mouth starting to dry out after the long cab ride home.

Kurt's head was starting to swim, the buzz still strong throughout his body. He paused in the dining room when he saw the table decorations. Their good candlesticks were out, fine china dishes set at his and Blaine's seats, a bouquet of roses in the middle of the table. Too drunk to be able to think properly, Kurt shrugged and continued to the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water and chugging it down.

He continued to the bedroom, opening the door as quietly as possible, leaving it open so that he could see well enough to make it to the closet without tripping on anything. He shed his clothing as quickly as possible, spotting his husband curled up on their bed and needing to be near him. He crawled into bed, curling his arm around Blaine and kissing his shoulder. Blaine was sound asleep, eyes scrunched up and brow furrowed. It looked like Blaine had been crying, the rims around his eyes still puffy and red. Kurt thought about waking him up, but he knew how much Blaine despised being woken up in the middle of the night.

Kurt smoothed his hand over Blaine's forehead, frowning when he felt something soft in Blaine's hair. He pulled his hand back, noting the rose petal that he'd pulled from Blaine's scalp. It was then Kurt noticed that there were scattered petals all over the bed, a small pile on the floor beside him. If Kurt could have focused enough, he may have been able to piece everything together, but he was drunk and tired and he fell asleep before he even realized it.

Kurt woke up with a pounding headache, the light from the window shining right into his eyes. He groaned and pulled the blanket up over his face, rolling over in the hopes that he could warm his suddenly cold body against his husband's. Kurt blinked his eyes open when he realized the bed was as cold as he was. He slowly peeked his head out from under the blanket, spotting Blaine sitting in an arm chair in the room, head hung, twisting his wedding ring around his finger.

"Blaine?" Kurt voice was rough. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Why aren't you in bed?" Blaine looked up at Kurt, not responding. He held out the glass of water and two painkillers, urging Kurt to drink. Kurt smiled his thanks, sitting up straighter and finally feeling awake enough to think properly. "How did you know?" Kurt asked, indicating the water.

"When I woke up, you reeked of alcohol." Kurt colored, embarrassed at how easily his husband could read him. "You were gone all night and you didn't call. You said you'd be home for dinner. Where were you?" Blaine asked, sounding hurt.

Kurt bit his lip. "The meeting from work ran late. We ended up moving to the bar down the road to talk to some clients. You know how Cameron gets when we go to bars." Kurt tried to smile but he knew it looked forced. "I'm sorry I didn't call. I didn't realize how late we were out."

"This is the fifth time this month," Blaine ground out, his voice rising in volume. "You know how worried I get. I tried calling you. Did you even look at your phone? What if something had happened to you? You need to think about people other than yourself, Kurt." With each sentence, Blaine volume raised until he was nearly shouting at Kurt.

"Why are you yelling at me?" Kurt asked, tears welling up in his eyes. Blaine looked so disappointed in him and he didn't know why.

Blaine sighed, deflating. "Do you know what yesterday was?"

Kurt blinked at the sudden change in mood. "Tuesday?"

Blaine huffed, giving a humorless laugh. "It was our one year anniversary."

Kurt was immediately brought back to last night: the flower, the candles, the china. "Oh my god, Blaine I so sor-"

"That's not even the worse part. Not only did you forget our anniversary, you spent it with another man."

Kurt blanched. "Blaine, you know that Cameron is straight. Even if he wasn't, I would never- I love  _you_ , only you."

Blaine wiped his hands over his face roughly, sighing. "I know. It just hurts that you've forgotten so many important things in our relationship, spending time with the guys from your work instead of your family. Do you know how embarrassing it was to be at our wedding shower without you? Everyone kept asking where you were and your Dad had to explain that work was apparently more important than spending time with family and friends and accepting their gifts. My graduation from the Master's Program? I was the only graduate there without his partner. Sending off Chandler and Sebastian, our closest friends, to Europe by myself? You've not only hurt me, you've hurt everyone around you. Why is your work so much more important? Please explain, so that I can understand."

Kurt shook his head, feeling his heart drop to his feet. He'd had no idea the consequences of the events he'd chosen to go to work instead of attending. "I don't-" Kurt trailed off, unable to figure out a reason other than that he wasn't really thinking.

"I'm sick of it, Kurt. I'm sick of being second to your job. I know that your position requires a lot of hours and I know how you're supporting us both with your salary. In all honesty, I would rather spend a few evenings together with you in a tiny apartment than I would the one night every other week we get in this house. I feel like I don't even know you anymore."

"Blaine..." The tears were running freely now. Blaine looked exhausted, rings under his eyes, skin paler than normal. He also looked checked out. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying things need to change or we need to reevaluate what we are to each other."

"You're not – we're not – please don't tell me you want to separate!" Kurt whined, standing up and rushing over to Blaine, kneeling at his feet and taking his hands.

Blaine's expression didn't change. "If it weren't for the fact that our names are both on this house and you come home once a week, it's almost like we already are." Blaine squeezed Kurt's hands. "I still love you, Kurt and I want to work on this. If we both try harder, I think we can recapture what we had. You have to promise me that you're going to focus more on family than your job."

Kurt nodded, leaning up and kissing Blaine as hard as he could. "There's nothing I can do or say to make up for last night. I haven't been fair to you these last few months and I'm so very sorry. You are important to me and I haven't been doing anything to show you that. I'll take some time off work so that we can spend time together. Get to know each other again."

Blaine smiled for the first time since Kurt had gotten home. "Do you really mean that?"

Kurt nodded. "Nothing is more important to me than you. You are the love of my life, my partner, my husband, my best friend, and my other half. I'm so sorry for ever making you doubt that. I have some vacation time saved up at work. Now that it's summer, you don't have to worry about getting time off. Why don't we go on vacation? We've always wanted to go to Paris. After my bonus, we could afford it."

Blaine shook his head. "No."

"No?"

"Going somewhere else won't start fixing this. Our problems are here and we can only start working on them if we start at home. We can always go to Paris another year. Right now I want to stay in our home and spend as much time together as possible. We need to talk and we need to learn to live together again."

Kurt nodded, understanding him. "You're right."

Blaine carded his fingers through Kurt's hair and bent down to press his lips to his forehead. "Why don't you go take a long, hot shower and I'll make us some breakfast."

Blaine stood up, Kurt quickly joining him, wrapping his arms tightly around Blaine's body. "I love you."

"Love you, too." Blaine responded without hesitation.

Kurt tipped Blaine's face up and kissed him softly. "You're still mine?

Blaine smiled softly at him. "Forever."


	27. Chapter 27

" _Daddy! Daddy! I have a best friend!"_

_Burt smiled at his son who was bouncing up and down in the living room when he got home from work. "That's great, buddy."_

" _His name's Blaine and he's beautiful." Kurt's eyes were glassy and his mouth was wide with a smile. "He was wearing this bow tie and his hair was like a big fluffy cloud and he said my scarf was pretty and he said we were friends. I can't wait to see him tomorrow."_

" _He sounds great."_

_Kurt nodded emphatically. "I didn't have anything for lunch, so he gave me his sandwich."_

_Burt paused, feeling his heart drop down into his stomach. "Oh, no. I forgot your lunch today. Kurt, I'm so sorry."_

_Kurt shook his head. "It's okay, Daddy. You were really busy today."_

_Kurt was always much more laid back and accepting than he should be at such a young age. Losing his mother had been devastating for both of them, but Kurt seemed to be handling it remarkably well. "That's no excuse. I promise I'll make you your favorite tomorrow."_

" _Okay." Kurt smiled at him and grabbed his coloring book and crayons from where they were laying next to him, continuing to color the picture he was halfway done with: it was a picture of Prince Steven and Prince Malcolm from Kurt's favorite Disney movie. "Daddy?" Kurt looked up at him._

" _Yes, Kurt?"_

" _Do you think Blaine and I could be like them?" Kurt asked, pointing toward the two princes. "Could we fall in love and get married, too?"_

_Burt put his hand on Kurt's shoulder and smiled at him. "You definitely could."_

_Kurt looked excited, turning to look at his picture again. "Blaine saved me today, just like Prince Malcolm. Does that mean I have to kiss him?" Kurt scrunched his nose up._

_Burt held back his chuckle. "Kurt, you're only 6. Kissing isn't anything you need to be worried about for a long time."_

" _Okay, good. Maybe when I'm ten, I'll kiss him." Kurt started humming, coloring in the rest of the picture._

" _Sure thing, buddy." Burt ruffled his hand through Kurt's hair. "I'm going to go make dinner."_

" _Daddy, is it alright if I bring my toys tomorrow? I think Blaine would like my Power Rangers."_

" _Sure. Be careful with them, though. I'm not buying you new ones if you break them."_

" _I'll be careful, Daddy."_

* * *

_Kurt sat in the middle of the living room with his face pressed into his knees, his body shaking forcefully with sobs when Burt entered the room._

" _Hey, Kurt, I'm home and- what's going on?" Burt came rushing into the room, kneeling next to Kurt and pulling him into his arms. "What happened?"_

_Kurt tried to talk but couldn't get out any words around his sobs. It took him several minutes curled in_ _his arms before he could breathe steadily and wipe all the snot and tears from his face. "Everybody hates me. Even Blaine." Burt felt his heart break, hearing how devastated Kurt sounded. His son deserved the best in the world and it seemed like things kept going from bad to worse._

_Kurt pulled out a single Power Ranger from pocket. The arms had both been ripped off and the leg was dangling. "I brought my Power Rangers to play with Blaine and he said he never wanted to see me again. The other boys took my toys and broke them. They said I couldn't play with boy toys because I sound like a girl. They said I was dirt." Kurt looked up at him and sniffled. "Is there something wrong with me?"_

_Burt felt his blood start to boil. Who gave the right those boys to treat Kurt that way? Kurt was the most beautiful and sweet boy that had ever been and ever would be. He wrapped Kurt tighter in his arms. "Of course not, buddy. And they're wrong. You can play with whatever you want." It was then that he noticed the bandaids on Kurt's hand. "You're hurt. What happened?"_

" _They pushed me down and I cut it on the dirt," Kurt responded, stroking a finger over the bandaid. "Miss Denise cleaned it for me. It hurt a lot when she put the bubbly stuff on it."_

" _Did you tell anyone about what those boys did?"_

_Kurt shook his head, his eyes going wide. "They said they would tell the teacher I was lying if I told on them. They said no one would believe someone as... as ugly as me. What does ugly mean?"_

_Burt bit his lip and closed his eyes, trying to push back the anger. "It's a bad word people use to make someone else feel bad. You're not ugly, Kurt. Don't listen to what they say. They can't tell you who you are, only you can." Burt pressed a kiss to the crown of Kurt's head. "What do you say we go out to the store and get you some more Power Rangers?"_

" _But... but you said you wouldn't buy me more if I broke them." Kurt's lower lip quivered. "I told you I'd be careful and I wasn't."_

" _You were careful. It's not your fault they broke them. I know they were your favorite, so we're going to go get you some more. We can go get some ice cream after dinner, too. How does that sound?"_

" _Really?" Kurt looked excited for the first time since Burt had gotten home._

"Dad spoiled me so much those first few years. He talked to the teacher, but no one could stop them from harassing me at recess. I got better at hiding the bruises and cuts from my Dad since he was at work most of the time."

Blaine frowned, placing his hand on Kurt's. "I'm so sorry, Kurt." The evening had started out relatively normal until Blaine finally asked the question that had been bugging him for years, ever since he'd met Burt and learned that he'd made Kurt cry more times that he could count. He'd asked Kurt to be honest and tell him about his life before they'd gotten claimed. He'd wanted to know just how much he'd hurt his soulmate in their lives before they'd gotten together. Blaine felt awful, worse than he ever had in his life when he learned just how many times he'd broken Kurt's heart. There were no words or actions that could make up for all the pain he'd caused Kurt.

"It's not your fault, Blaine. You thought you were doing what was best for us both."

"I still feel awful. When I met your Dad for the first time, he mentioned that you'd come home crying a lot because of me, I had no idea just how awful it was for you. If I'd only taken the time to talk to you, maybe we could have-"

"What's done is done. We've acknowledged that things were not good between us and that you were an ass to me most of high school." They shared a smile. "Most importantly, I've forgiven you. I love everything about you, even those parts of you from your past that you wish you could have gone back and changed, and we're partners. Besides, my Dad said that if you ever make me cry again, he'll rip your balls off."

Blaine's face paled. "He wouldn't actually do that... would he?"

"I'm his only son, the apple of his eye. What do you think?"

"I think that I will make sure that you never have reason to be sad ever again."

"Good." Kurt leaned towards Blaine and kissed him lightly. "Let's start by you making me dinner."

"But, it's your turn tonight."

Kurt pouted, screwing his eyes up as if he was about to cry.

"Oh god, you're going to use this against me for the rest of my life, aren't you?"

"You betcha."


	28. Chapter 28

"Kurt, are you awake?"

Blaine blinked in the darkness, listening. When Kurt stayed silent, he huffed, reaching over and flicking on the nightlight so that he could see where he was going. In the dimness of the bulb, Blaine saw that Kurt was curled around his pillow on the bed. He felt a fond smile take over his face. He made quick work of his clothes, exchanging them for his comfiest boxers, slipping into bed next to his husband and curling up around his back.

He pressed a kiss to Kurt's spine, smiling when he felt his husband shiver slightly and snuffle in his sleep. As Blaine was about to drift off into sleep, he felt the bed dip slightly towards the foot of it, the sound of sniffing loud in the silence. "What the-"

Blaine sat up and nearly squealed when he saw a dark lump making its way quickly towards him. He reached down and smacked Kurt, shaking him violently. "Kurt!  _There's a huge mouse in our bed_."

Kurt shot up at that. "What?!" He flicked on their bedside lamp and brandished the bottle of lotion that had been sitting there. "Where is it?"

Blaine was about to point to the lump when he noticed what the lump was. "Is that- Kurt, why is there a puppy in our bed?"

Kurt laughed lightly, setting down his lotion and picking the puppy up into his arms. He nuzzled the puppy for a minute. "This is Angelica. We're babysitting for her while the Smitts are in Florida."

"Oh. For how long?"

"A few days." Kurt pressed a kiss to her head. "Who's a beautiful girl? You are."

Blaine held back his laugh at Kurt's baby voice. He reached out his hand to scratch the puppy on the head. Angelica went from snuggly puppy to scary puppy in seconds. She lunged at Blaine's fingers, snapping her teeth. Blaine had pulled back quickly enough that she didn't grab him. "Woah."

"Angel! That was very naughty," Kurt scolded, frowning at her. "He was only trying to say hi." Kurt turned to look up at his husband. "I guess she's just trying to protect me."

"Protect you? From what? Me? I'm your husband!" Blaine couldn't help but sound offended.

"I know that. She doesn't. We've bonded today and I guess she is a little too attached. Why don't we go to sleep and tomorrow we can work on introducing you again."

"Okay." Blaine eyed the dog warily before he laid back down next to Kurt. After Kurt turned off their lamp, Blaine opened his arms automatically, waiting for Kurt to curl up into them. After a few seconds, Blaine blinked his eyes open. Instead of cozying up to Blaine, Kurt was facing away from him, body around up to the puppy. "Kurt, are you spooning the puppy?"

"It's her first night away from her parents. I want to make sure she feels safe."

"But, what about me?"

Kurt twisted his head around to look at him. "Babe, are you jealous?"

Blaine frowned. "No."

"You are!" Kurt turned his body all the way around to face him. "Awwwww," Kurt cooed, leaning up and kissing Blaine lightly. Just as Blaine started returning Kurt's kiss, he felt a warm body worm its way between them. He peeked open one eye to see Angelica eying Blaine warily, a growl following shortly after.

Blaine sighed and pulled away from Kurt. "You've got to be kidding me." He watched as Angelica made quick work of curling up in Kurt's arms, placing her rear-end in a way that it was facing Blaine's face.

Kurt giggled. "I guess she's really not a fan of you. At least it's only for a few days. After she goes home, I'll find a way to make it up to you."

"I know just the way. You remember all those massages you made me give you? Because if I didn't you'd cry and your Dad would come after me? I'm expecting repayment in full."

Kurt sighed, dramatically. "Fine. Can we sleep now?"

"Yes. Love you."

"Love you, too." When Angelica barked lightly, Kurt chuckled. "Love you, too, Angel."

* * *

Angelica didn't like Blaine any better come morning. The three days they babysat her, she spent most of her time trying her best to keep Kurt and Blaine apart. Anytime they'd try to kiss, she'd bark like she had to go outside or nip Blaine's ankle. Kurt found it funny the first few times, but after three days of no contact with his husband, he'd had enough. He placed her in her kennel with a stern warning that, if she barked or bothered them in any way, there'd be no rawhide that night.

Kurt spent the next hour giving Blaine the best massage he'd ever received followed by two rounds of sex. They were surprised that Angelica didn't make a peep throughout the whole thing. As they lay side by side capturing their breaths, Blaine turned to look at Kurt. "So, you know how I said we could go look for a cat once we were settled in our new home and jobs? I'm thinking we're good on our own."

Kurt nodded. "I'm going to have to agree. As much as it'd be nice to have something we could take care of together, I don't think I can handle not being able to touch you at all."

They got up and Blaine prepared their dinner while Kurt took Angelica out for a walk before returning her to the Smitts.

That night they very happily cuddled up to each other and had the best sleep they'd gotten that whole week, no one there to bother them or keep them apart.

It was to Kurt's great confusion that he came home from work that next week to find a huge furball sitting on his kitchen counter, decked out in a bright blue bow tie and nestled in a basket. "Blaine?" he called out, setting down his bag and eying the cat warily.

"Yeah, babe? Oh, I see you've met Radames." Blaine smiled at the cat, scratching the big guy under the chin. "Isn't he precious?"

Kurt cocked his head to the side. "I guess. Blaine, why is he on our counter?"

"He likes this basket. Every time I take him out, he climbs right back in."

"That's fantastic. Why is he here, though?"

"Oh, right. So, Francis down the hall found out he's allergic to him and can't keep him anymore. He was going around asking if anyone could take him in and one look at that face and I couldn't say no."

"Blaine, we talked about this. Remember how we didn't want anyone to come between us?" Kurt couldn't help but smile at Radames who had crawled out of his basket and came to investigate him, sniffing his hand for a moment before proceeding to purr and rub against it.

"That's why I told Francis we'd take care of him on a trial basis. If things didn't work out, we'd find a home for him." Blaine smiled at Kurt. "I know how much you wanted a cat and this guy's so sweet. I think things will work out for us. Just think: reading your book at night with him curled up in your lap, keeping it cozy warm. Playing with string and toy mice while he purrs and prances around."

"He's quite a tubber. I doubt he'll be prancing anywhere anytime soon."

"Francis was a little overzealous with treats. If we play with him and get him on a diet, I'm sure we can slim him up in no time. Just think of how much fun it will be to have him as part of our family."

"No need for the pitch, I'm already a fan of him."

"Yay!" Blaine clapped. "Was it the bow tie? I think he looks quite distinguished with it on."

"He doesn't look as good in them as you do."

"True. Francis gave us Radames' food bowls and litter box and toys, but I figured you'd want to go out and get ones of your own, as long as things work out."

"You know me so well."


	29. Chapter 29

"Can you please explain to me why Puck is always around?" Kurt asked Finn as they set the table.

"We're soulmates."

Kurt paused and raised his eyebrow. "I'd always wondered, since I know you and Rachel aren't soulmates. How'd you guys find each other? Wasn't Puck in juvie all throughout High School?"

"That's a great story," Rachel said, bringing in the bowl of potatoes. "You should tell him, sweetie."

Finn colored. "I really don't feel comfortable with that, Rach. It's really embarrassing."

"I can tell it." She smiled up at him. "Puck was on the same football team as Finn in college. After practice one day, Puck cornered him in the locker room."

" _Yo, Finn!_ "  _Finn turned around and spotted Puck. "It's me."_

_Finn felt confusion wash over him. "Yeah?"_

_When Finn stayed silent, Puck huffed and continued, "My real name isn't Puck. It's Noah. Noah Puckerman."_

_Finn felt all the color drain off his face. He'd had the vain hope that Noah was a girl's name, but he guessed that was a bust. "Oh."_

" _Yeah. Isn't this great? We finally found each other." Puck walked over and slapped Finn on the back. "I've been looking for you, like, forever, bro. Now that we found each other, we can get it on!" He held up his fist to Finn._

" _Wait... what? Dude, I'm not-I'm not gay. No way in hell am I 'getting it on' with you."_

_Puck frowned. "Oh... but we're soulmates. Aren't we supposed to bang and then get married?"_

_Finn sighed and set down his gear. "That's for couples. Since I'm not gay, obviously, we're not one of the soulmate couples."_

" _I guess that makes sense. I wasn't sure I was into dudes, either. I mean, I_ _ **have**_ _been banging most of the cheerleader team since beginning of the year. What do we do, then?"_

" _I guess we show each other our marks, first." Finn made to pull his shirt over his head. When he'd tossed it into his locker, he spotted Puck with his pants around his ankles, pulling his underwear off. "Dude! I said we're weren't going to have sex!" His voice was a few pitches higher than normal and his hands were over his eyes._

_Puck sighed. "Your name's on my ass, nimrod."_

_Finn peeked through his fingers. Indeed, his name was scrawled across the swell of Puck's right cheek. "I've seen, you can put that away now." He lowered his arms and pointed to his collarbone where 'Noah Puckerman' was written._

" _So if we're not supposed to have sex, how do we claim each other?"_

_Finn shrugged. "I didn't really pay attention in class. I think we're supposed to say something about being there for each other through everything, forever."_

_Puck raised his eyebrow. "That sounded sort of gay, dude. Sort of like wedding vows." He raised his voice in pitch. "I'll be there for you through thick and thin, forever." As the words left his mouth, Finn felt a warmth spread through his body and he fell to his knees at the force of it._

_He blinked up at Puck who had also fallen to his knees and they stared at each other for a long moment_ _before Puck smiled at him. "Okay, that was sort of fucking awesome! Are you sure we're not supposed to have sex? That felt freakily like an orgasm."_

By the time Rachel got to this point, Kurt was holding his arm around his stomach, face red with barely restrained laughter. Finn was as bright as a tomato, fidgeting with the silverware on the table.

"Yeah, yeah, it's funny to you guys. I had to spend the next few weeks explaining to him that we weren't a couple and that he should stop groping me. He's like a leech sometimes. Now that you've thoroughly embarrassed me, why don't you regale us with the story of you and Jesse?"

Rachel flushed. "I'd rather not."

"I will be more than happy to!" Finn said, smirking. "She went to find him at Carmel High. She had no idea he was already seeing someone else. She tried to seduce him, even went so far to do this weird strip tease thing before his girlfriend walked in."

"He was such a jerk back then. He didn't even try to tell me that he wasn't available."

"He told me that was because your tongue was down his throat almost as soon as you greeted him." Finn said, wrapping Rachel into his arms.

The doorbell rang at that moment before a very loud shout of, "Puckerino's in the house!" came from the front door.

Finn shook his head and went to go greet his soulmate, wrapping him in a big bear hug. Behind Puck was Jesse, who reached out and pulled Rachel into his own embrace. They all greeted each other for a few moments before they all turned to say their hellos to Kurt, Blaine, Carole, and Burt.

Just as they were finishing with all the hugs, the doorbell rang once more. Cooper was at the door, a beautiful blonde on his arm and a little girl curled in his arms. "Hello- holy shit there are a lot of you here."

"Cooper!" The woman hissed at him.

"What, Alex? Katie is sleeping, she didn't hear me."

She just shook her head and stepped into the house before him. "Hello, everyone. I apologize for the rudeness of my brother, but I'm sure you know him much better than me."

"Brother? I thought he and Blaine were brothers." Puck said, scratching the back of his neck.

Kurt sighed, and hastened to explain. "Alex is Cooper's soulmate's sister and Katie is her daughter. They've essentially adopted him into their family."

"Gotcha." Puck held out his hand to her. "I'm Puck and I'm single."

"Puck!" Rachel screeched, smacking him upside the head.

"What? She's not wearing a ring and she's fucking hot." Puck said, raking his eyes up and down her body.

"I don't date pigs." Alex said. She made her way into the house, pulling Cooper behind her.

Kurt looked around at the crazy mix of people in his house. Thanksgiving, which they were celebrating today, and Christmas tended to be chaotic as everyone go together to spend time together. Everyone had different personalities and the fact that they were a mix of dating/married/claimed made everything even crazier.

There was a lot of love and a lot of friendship and they would never ask for anything different.


	30. Chapter 30

Kurt and Blaine debated for a long while about children. They were both in complete agreement that they wanted children; they disagreed on the how. Kurt wanted to go the surrogacy route and Blaine wanted to adopt. While Blaine agreed that having a child that took after one of them would be everything they'd ever wanted, he was still adamant about adoption.

"I had a horrible childhood, Kurt and there are so many kids out there who will have lives even worse than mine was. There are kids in shelters and orphanages and foster homes who deserve the chance to live and grow and love and we could give that to them. Why create a new life when there are already lives that need nurturing that we could give?"

Kurt bit his lip. "You're right. I just always pictured having a little you running around."

"If we did surrogacy, it'd be you, Kurt. You're the type of person we need more of in this world."

Kurt kissed him fiercely, leaning him back on the couch and having his way with him until they were breathless and sweaty. They agreed to think about it for another few weeks and come back to discuss it again at a later time.

A year after the debate started, Kurt and Blaine agreed that they'd start the process to adopt while meeting with surrogates and egg donors. If either one of the options seemed more right than the other, they'd make their final decision. Until that time, they were keeping their options open. Cooper's soulmate's sister offered to be surrogate for them and there were plenty of woman at the Planned Parenthood in their city who were good candidates.

While they'd been tempted to look into adoption of one of the many available baby girls from China, Blaine requested that they adopt a needy child in America. Someone who wouldn't have a good life right here in their country.

It wasn't until a seemingly normal day at Blaine's work that everything was decided for them. Blaine always arrived to school an hour early to finalize his plans for the day, enjoying the remnants of his coffee that he'd purchased with Kurt earlier in the morning. This day, one of his students, Melissa, knocked on his door a half hour before class was to begin.

"Good morning, Melissa."

"Morning, Mr. A."

"Is there something I can help you with?"

Melissa sat down on the edge of one of the desks in the front row, looking down at her feet. "I don't know if anyone can help me." She looked back up at him, eyes watering. "I'm pregnant," she admitted, putting a hand on her belly. "My parents said that if I keep the baby, they'll kick me out. I'm responsible for this life, so I'm going to see it through, but I don't know what to do, Mr. A. They're refusing to help with bills." By the end of her speech, she was becoming frantic, tears pouring down her face.

Blaine felt his heart stop, seeing such pain and devastation from someone who was still a child. "Oh, Melissa." He came out from behind his desk and sat down next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and patting it. "I'm so sorry that you have to go through this. Have you talked to Mrs. Gruder about this?" Mrs. Gruder was the guidance counselor at the school.

Melissa shook her head. "I don't want to feel judged. You're the only teacher here who's open minded, the only one who makes us feel safe and cared about." She gave him a small smile.

"I think it's best if you bring in someone who can help you find places for financial help, maybe a home for teen mothers? I could go with you, if you'd like."

"You would do that for me?"

Blaine nodded. "You're a good person, Melissa. Don't you ever forget that. Now, why don't we go down to the teacher's lounge and get you a big cup of water and then we'll catch Mrs. Gruber when she gets in."

Blaine told Kurt about Melissa when they were both eating dinner that night. Kurt was sympathetic, asking if they'd made any headway with the guidance counselor. Mrs. Gruber had given Melissa a few numbers to call and locations to visit and things were looking okay, not great.

Kurt nodded, finishing the rest of the meal in silence, brow furrowed in concentration. As they started cleaning up their dishes, Kurt paused in the middle of the kitchen. "Blaine, what about us?"

"Huh?" Blaine couldn't be more confused at Kurt's sudden and random topic of conversation.

"We've been set with the agency for a few months and our homestudy was a success."

"Yeah?" Blaine was unsure why Kurt was bringing up their status with the adoption agency.

Kurt smiled at him. "So, what about us? Melissa needs a good home for her child and we're looking to help someone in need. Doesn't it seem like perfect timing?"

Blaine's eyes widened as the realization overcame him. "How did I not think of that?"

"I'm the smart one of the family, that's why," Kurt smirked at Blaine, pulling him close. "What do you say we set up a time to meet with her and ask if she'd be willing. I think it'd be nice to know the family you're giving your child to, right? Not some strangers who you meet once or twice?"

Blaine nodded. "I'll talk to her tomorrow."

The next day, Blaine brought up the idea to Melissa who seemed genuinely interested. They set up a time for her to meet Kurt and go over some of the details. They met at a sidewalk cafe. Kurt and Melissa bonded within seconds and it was a unanimous decision that they felt it was a perfect fit.

The next few months was a blur of visits to the adoption agency, lawyer, and doctor's offices. Kurt and Blaine covered all of Melissa's medical bills and made sure she was well taken care of at the home where she'd be living until the baby was born. Blaine and Kurt attended all the ultrasounds and checkups and were excited to learn they'd be having a daughter. Their family hosted a shower for them, excited to have an new addition to their already large family on the way; Kurt and Blaine couldn't be more happy that everything seemed to be falling into place perfectly.

* * *

Blaine stretched his arms over his head before standing up to go to their connected bathroom, grabbing one of their washcloths and wetting it, going back to their bed and cleaning his husband up as best he could. Kurt was starfished on the bed, his body a puddle of blissed out mush, a huge smile on his face, hair plastered to his forehead. "You were right," Kurt slurred, unable to lose his grin. "That toy is amazing."

"I don't know why you didn't believe me. Santana, as much as I hate to admit it, is the best resource for sex toys, more knowledgeable than the creators themselves." Blaine grabbed the toy from where it lay next to Kurt's hip, wiping it off with the cloth and placing it back in their nightstand drawer along with their current bottle of lube. Kurt started humming, head lolling to the side. Blaine laughed, stroking his hand over Kurt's head. "You're purring, babe."

"Once I take a nap, I promise I'll return the favor." Kurt leaned into Blaine's touch before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Blaine smiled down at him for a few moments until the phone started ringing shrilly. He leaned over quickly and grabbed it, silencing the ringer and bringing it up to his ear. "Hello?"

Kurt peeked his eye open. "Who is it?"

Blaine shushed him and listened intently as the person on the phone rattled off details. "Of course. We'll be there soon." After he ended the call, he turned to smile at his husband. "That was Melissa. Her water broke. It's time!"

Kurt shrieked and bolted upright, hissing but not stopping, reaching for the nearest clothing items and attempting to pull them on. Blaine intervened when he noticed Kurt's foot sticking out of a shirt sleeve. "Honey, I think it's best you take a minute to collect yourself. You'll hate it if you're looking anything less than amazing when we see our little girl for the first time."

"True." Kurt took a calming breath and then really looked at what was in his hands, realizing not only was he attempting to pull a shirt onto his leg, but it was Blaine's shirt. "Could you go grab me my dress pants from the laundry room? The ones that go with my white button up."

"Of course." Blaine left Kurt to starting putting his outfit together and went to collect the requested pants as well as all their supplies for the birth. The car seat was already in the car as was the outfit and blanket they were going to take their daughter home in. It took them only ten minutes to be ready to head out the door. They took one last look at their house before walking to the car, both nearly bouncing with excited energy.

Once they arrived at the hospital, time seemed to pass both quickly and in slow motion. Melissa was in labor for nearly six hours, a mix of stop and go until finally she was pushing. The sound of crying was the most beautiful thing Kurt and Blaine had ever heard. Kurt snipped the umbilical cord since Blaine was crying hard enough that he couldn't see. They'd agreed on the name beforehand – Charlotte. Blaine's favorite book was Charlotte's Web and Kurt's favorite book was Phantom of the Opera and he always loved the name Lotte from it.

Family and friends alike came to visit, admiring how beautiful she was and how proud they should be. Kurt and Blaine couldn't take their eyes off her. Every smile, every blink, every clench of her fingers was a miracle that they didn't want to miss.


	31. Chapter 31

"How can she go from a screaming banshee to a peaceful angel in the span of ten minutes?"

"Exhaustion," Kurt answered, smiling in at Charlotte who was finally,  _blessedly_ , asleep.

Their four year old had thrown the largest temper tantrum they had ever seen, ripping a hunk of curls right out of Blaine's head and kicking Kurt in the shin. They weren't even quite sure what had set her off. Whatever it was, she gradually started to droop before she conked out in her bed.

Kurt and Blaine closed her door softly, breathing a sigh of relief. "How's your head?"

Blaine grimaced and ran his hand over the bald spot. "It'll heal."

"My poor baby," Kurt cooed. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

"I'm sure I could think of something."

They fell into bed together, not before kicking Radames out of their bed ("I don't care how cute he is, he's always watching us and it's creepy") and locking the door ("Yes, Blaine, I'm sure I locked the door.  _You_ go check, if you're so worried"). They spent the next few minutes relearning each others bodies.

At the first flash of lightning, Kurt paused, pulling back for a moment. They both flinched at the crash of thunder, loud above their heads. Just before they could lean back into each other, a frantic "Daddy! Papa!" echoed through their door with the accompaniment of little fists pounding.

"See this is why I said we lock our door," Blaine whispered, quickly stuffing himself back into his boxers, nodding to Kurt that he should do the same. He hopped up and unlocked their door, pulling it open and barely opening his arms quick enough to catch the hurtling ball of baby girl when she launched herself at him. Blaine tightened his arms around his daughter, pressing kisses to her face and her hair. "It's okay, Baby. Daddy's got you."

"I don't like the loud lights," Charlotte whined, nuzzling into his chest.

Kurt came up behind Charlotte and stroked his hand down her back. "I was scared of it too, sweetie."

"Me too," Blaine agreed.

She peeked her head out from Blaine's chest. "Really?"

Kurt nodded. "I used to sleep in my Dad's bed when there was a storm."

"Are you still scared?"

"It still makes me get scared sometimes," Blaine said. "I know your Papa will keep me safe, though."

She turned to look at Kurt. "Do you get scared, Papa?"

Kurt shook his head. "Not anymore. My Dad told me a story about it and I wasn't so scared anymore."

Charlotte flinched when there was a crash of thunder again, but she didn't hide her face. Blaine sat them down on the bed, Kurt joining them. "Could you tell me?"

Kurt nodded. "The lights are called lightning. You know when I pull off your sweater at night and there are those little dots of light. Or when you touch someone and you shock them?"

Charlotte grinned. She'd come up with a game where she'd run around in her socks, shuffling the carpet and then jab her Dads with her finger, shocking them.

"That's basically what lightning is. It's just bigger, but instead of it happening because of a shirt, it happens because of the hot and cold air rubbing against each other. Thunder is the crackling noise that the shock makes. It's just louder because it's bigger."

Charlotte nodded, taking it all in. "Erik said it was the angels bowling."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at Blaine, trying to hold back a smile. "A lot of people have theories of what causes it, but I believe your Grampa's story the most. His is based off science, something that is very difficult to make up."

"What's science?"

Blaine chuckled. "Something you'll spend the next 14-20 years learning about in school. Something your Daddy is really bad at."

The next time the lightning flashed and the thunder crashed, Charlotte simply sat and listened. "It does sound like when I shock you, Papa," she commented, smiling at him. "I guess it really isn't so scary."

Kurt smiled at her.

Charlotte bit her lip. "I think I should sleep here, tonight. I want to keep Daddy safe."

Kurt and Blaine shared a smile. "Thank you, Little Lotte," Blaine said, kissing her cheek. "I would feel much better if you were right here."

All three of them laid back in the bed, Charlotte slotted between Kurt and Blaine, gripping both their hands as she drifted off to sleep.


	32. Chapter 32

"Can I ask you a question, Papa?"

Kurt set down his book, removing his glasses from where they were perched on the bridge of his nose. His daughter, Charlotte, was standing in the middle of their living room, scuffing her foot into their carpeting. "Of course, sweetie." He patted the spot on the couch next to him.

She sat down next to him and fingered the end of her skirt. "Can I ask you stuff about Branding Day?"

"Did you learn about it in school today?"

She nodded. "It doesn't really make sense. I want to make sure I have all the answers before I get marked."

"You're only twelve, Lotte, you don't need to understand everything right now. Whatever you want to know, you can ask and I'll do my best to answer."

She turned to look up at him. "Are you and Daddy soulmates?"

Kurt smiled, setting his hand on his thigh were Blaine's name still rested. "Yes, we are."

"Are Gramma and Grampa?"

Kurt shook his head. "Grampa and my mom were soulmates. After she died, your Grampa married your Gramma, who had also lost her soulmate. Nana and Pops are soulmates, though." Kurt still couldn't believe that Blaine's parents had changed as much as they had. Blaine's father had gone to rehab and had been sober for 20 years now. Blaine's mother had had a change of heart and was now a very big part of their lives and the life of Lotte.

"What about Uncle Finn and Aunt Rachel?"

"They're not soulmates either. Their soulmates were not of the romantic nature. Your Aunt Rachel's best friend, Uncle Jesse, he's her soulmate, and your Uncle Puck? He's Uncle Finn's soulmate. Your other two Uncles, Sebastian and Chandler? They're soulmates. They've been together since Branding Day."

"What about Great Uncle Cooper?"

Kurt's face fell. "His soulmate had already passed when he was marked. He's visits her family every year, though."

Charlotte nodded her head, taking all this information in. "There's no set rule as to what sort of relationship we have to have with the person we're marked with?"

Kurt shook his head.

"How did you know you and Daddy were meant to be in love?"

Kurt smiled. "I didn't. For the longest time I didn't think I'd have any relationship with him."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's just say your Daddy and I didn't see eye to eye for a while. If your soulmate and you are meant to be in love, you will be. The fates know far more than we ever could. Once your Daddy got it through his thick head that he loved me, we started our life together."

"I don't have a thick head!" Blaine pouted from the doorway.

"Daddy!" Charlotte stood up and ran to hug her father. Blaine swung her up into his arms and pressed kisses all over her cheeks. "Ugh, gross." She batted his face away.

"Since when have I been gross, little Lotte?" Blaine asked, looking a bit sad. He set her down.

"I'm almost a teenager, you can't just go around kissing me! My friends might see!"

"Sorry." Blaine held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't know we were already at that stage. Do we need to drop you off at school a block down the road?"

"You're so silly," Charlotte said. "Papa was telling me about soulmates. Is it true that you didn't love each other right away?"

Blaine looked over at Kurt, whom nodded at him. Blaine sighed and sat down next to where Charlotte had plopped back down on the couch. "When your Papa and I got each other's names, we hadn't ever really interacted. My parents, your Nana and Pops, weren't like they were now and I was doubting the fates and the idea of soulmates. I pushed your Papa away for a long time." Blaine reached over and squeezed Kurt's hand. "After awhile, I couldn't help but feel that pull, the one you'll feel when you get marked, and I eventually realized they were right and you Papa and I became true soulmates and best friends."

"No matter who you get marked with, you'll find a best friend and life partner. There's nothing to be scared or worried about, Lotte." Kurt threw his arm around his daughter and cradled her to his side.

"Thanks, Papa." She nuzzled into him for a moment before standing up and twirling around to face them both. "Well, Erik invited me over to play video games. I'll see you later!" She waved and skipped off, grabbing her back pack and heading over to the house next door.

Blaine scooted over closer to Kurt, laying his head on his shoulder. "I hope everything works out much better for her when she gets her mark."

Kurt turned to look at his husband. "I think we worked out just fine."

"Eventually, yes. But I would never wish that heartache I caused you all those months, on her. Or everything my parents went through. Or the hopelessness that Uncle Coop had to go through."

Kurt kissed the crown of Blaine's head. "We just have to hope for the best. Maybe she'll luck out and Erik will be her soulmate. She's already crushing on him."

"Really?" He sat up. "Did she tell you that?"

"She didn't have to tell me. She looks at him the way you looked at me when you asked if I'd accept you forever."

"She's twelve, Kurt. She shouldn't be falling for someone already. She's much too young!"

Kurt put his hands on both sides of Blaine's face. "Calm down, honey. It's just an innocent crush. It's cute and we'll let it play out, okay?"

Blaine sighed. "You're right. You're always right."

Kurt smiled. "I love how you always sound so surprised about that fact. Now, seeing as Lotte will be at Erik's for at least an hour, what do you say we spend some quality time together, just you and me?"

Blaine pulled him off the couch so fast that he nearly pulled Kurt's arm out of the socket. Their giddy laughter echoed through the house as they raced to their bedroom.


	33. Chapter 33

The morning of Charlotte's branding started off like any other. Blaine had gotten up early to start breakfast, returning to his and Kurt's bedroom to wake his husband up with a blow job, taking a shower together afterward, and then finally making their way downstairs to prepare for the day.

When Charlotte still hadn't gotten up by 7:00 am, they started to get worried. Blaine grabbed Kurt's hand and they went to their daughter's room, knocking lightly.

"You can come in," she called out from inside her room.

Blaine took a deep breath before opening the door, spotting their daughter crying quietly on her bed. He rushed over and pulled her into his arms, Kurt slotting himself on Charlotte's other side and sandwiching her into a hug.

Once Charlotte's tears had subsided, Blaine pulled away from her and brushed her hair out of her face. "Do you want to talk about it, sweetheart?"

Charlotte sighed and pulled up her shirt, pointing to where a name was marked along her ribcage. "Not only is it not a boy, it's someone I've never heard of." She pouted and dropped her shirt back down.

Kurt gave her a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, Lotte. I know you really wanted it to be Erik. You know we've told you before that, just because you are marked with someone's name doesn't mean that's who you have to be with and marry. You can still see Erik-"

"No, I can't," she whined, holding up her phone.

Blaine took it carefully from her and read the message from her childhood friend: " _Sorry, Lotte. I don't think we should see each other anymore now that I've got Meg's name."_

"He got marked with another girl's name. Not just that, it's Meg." Her voice was laced with venom. "She's been trying to steal Erik from me since Middle School." She started crying again, throwing herself into Kurt's arms.

Kurt looked up at Blaine, a desperate look on his face. " _How do we fix this?"_  he mouthed at Blaine, who could only shake his head. Blaine placed his hand on Lotte's head and stroked it softly.

"I'm so sorry, little Lotte."

She sniffled and wiped her nose on a wadded up Kleenex that had been sitting near her leg. "I'm so confused now. Does my name mean I'm gay?"

Blaine shook his head. "Getting a name doesn't mean you have to change yourself. It just means that the person who is your soulmate is the person you're going to need most in your life, whether as a friend, a spouse, a family member, or a life partner. Your Uncle Jesse became your Aunt Rachel's agent. He's seen her through every good and bad production, always there for her when she needed, but they don't love each other in that way. Your Uncle Finn has been helping your Uncle Puck become a Parole Officer, helping other kids who started out just like him. Your mark changes nothing about you. This Lily Masterson does not change the person you are deep down inside. She'll be the person who will help you achieve everything you're meant to achieve. You just haven't met her yet."

Kurt blinked up at Blaine with a look of awe on his face, a fond smile on his lips. "Your Daddy is right. You're such a beautiful girl and I know there's some boy out there who's looking for a girlfriend just like you. Someday, you'll find your Lily and everything should make so much more sense."

She hugged both of her fathers tightly, giving them a small smile. "Thank you."

Blaine leaned down and pressed a kiss to her temple. "How about some crepes for breakfast?"

"Really?"

Blaine nodded. "Your Papa made your favorite – Strawberry and Banana."

She bounced up out of bed and made her way quickly down to their kitchen. Blaine looked over at Kurt, sighing and pulling his husband into his arms. "We'll help her get through this, one day at a time."

Kurt nodded against Blaine's chest. "I just wish something could go according to plan in this family."

"Where would be the fun in that?"

They stood up and made they way hand in hand downstairs to join their daughter for breakfast.

* * *

As the next few years went by, they didn't give much thought to Charlotte's soulmate. She dated a few boys off and on throughout school, nothing too serious and she always kept an eye out for her soulmate. It wasn't until they'd gotten the call from the childrens shelter about an opportunity for a foster child that everything changed.

Blaine and Kurt had made their way down to the shelter to meet with the case worker, anxious to see what little boy or girl could use their help. The case worker held out the file to them and they opened it with shaking fingers.

Kurt nearly dropped the folder as soon as he opened it, the name 'Lily Masterson' emblazoned in bold font at the top of the page, the face of a terribly sad child right below it. " _Blaine_." Kurt breathed out, turning to look at his husband.

He handed the file over to Blaine, who scanned it quickly, looking up at Kurt with tears pooling in his eyes. "She's the one. She has to be." He looked up at the case worker. "When can we meet her?"

"You seem certain, may I ask why?" the man asked, a curious expression on his face.

Kurt looked over at Blaine, who nodded. "We're fairly certain that Lily is our daughter's soulmate."

The man looked taken aback. "If that's true, that would be fantastic news. Lily has be shuffled around from home to home and it's taken its toll. If we could get her connected with her soulmate, I think she'd truly flourish."

He stood up and beckoned for the two men to follow. Kurt reached over and gripped Blaine's hand tightly. They were brought to a room that was the farthest down the hall way, stuffed to the brim with ten beds, one girl atop each.

They spotted Lily who was curled up in the corner of the room, the blankets pulled clean up to the chin. There was no mistaking the startling green eyes. Kurt bent down so that he was eye level with her. "Hello, Lily. I'm Kurt Anderson-Hummel and this is my husband Blaine."

She sat up quickly, brushing her fingers through her hair which sat in clumps across her back. She bit her lip before holding out her hand. Kurt smiled at the gesture, gripping her hand lightly and shaking it. "Are you here to take me home?"

Kurt's heart broke at the hope shining through the girl's eyes that he could tell she was trying to hold back. He nodded. "We have a daughter at home that has been waiting to meet you for a long time."

The girl looked confused.

"Do you know anything about soulmates?" When she nodded, Kurt continued, "Our daughter, Charlotte, has your name. She's been trying to find you ever since."

The girl's face took on a look of wonder. "I have a soulmate? She wants to meet me?"

"Of course you do," Blaine spoke up from behind Kurt, shooting the girl a smile. "I'm sorry it's taken so long for us to find you. You are very much wanted, if you think you'd like to come home with us."

The girl nodded frantically, eyes full of light. Kurt and Blaine looked up at the case worker, who stood back a few paces. "How long will the paperwork take? Is there any way we could take her home today?"

The man sighed. "Unfortunately you have to apply and that can take upwards of a week." When Lily's face fell, he hurriedly assured her, "We'll do what we can to expedite the process."

Kurt turned back to face Lily. "Would it be alright if we came back tomorrow with Charlotte? I'm sure she'll be anxious to meet you."

Lily nodded. "Do you think she'll like me?" she asked, picking at her ratty blanket.

Blaine nodded and reached out to grip her hand. "She's going to love you."

After saying their goodbyes, they made their way back to the case worker's office to start filling out the paperwork.

* * *

"Charlotte, can you come join us in the family room?" Kurt called out.

His daughter peeked her head out tentatively. "What's going on?"

"We have something we need to discuss with you." She looked nervous but went to sit across from her fathers none-the-less. "You remember how we explained that we were going to start fostering?" She nodded. "We went to visit a little girl yesterday and we've decided we want to foster."

"Okay?" Charlotte said, looking between both of them.

"There's something... special about her. Something that may interest you." Blaine started, licking his lips and pausing, debating his next words. "She's seven, and we'll be her ninth home."

Charlotte frowned. "That's so sad. Why was she shuffled around so much?"

"Unlike us, a lot of foster families don't do it from the goodness of their hearts. They use the system for money and these children don't get the best life. Now that we're going to take her in, we're going to make certain that we'll be her permanent home from now on. Especially after we learned of certain... things."

"I'm really confused, Dad. You're talking as if I should know something more than I do."

Blaine stood up and went to sit next to her. "I'm going to tell you her name and I don't want you to freak out."

When Blaine simply stared at her, Charlotte's eyes widened, her hand going to her chest. "Is she-"

"Her name is Lily Masterson," Blaine said, finally smiling at his daughter, "and we'd love to take you with us tomorrow to meet her."

Charlotte let out her breath is a rush of air, eyes filling with tears and pressing her hand tightly to where Lily's name was written on her body. "Is it really her?"

Kurt put his hand on her leg, squeezing her knee lightly. "We can't be one hundred percent until she is 16 as well, but you should be able to tell us if you feel something special when you meet her. Even if she isn't, we know we want to take her with us. You'll understand when you see her."

They spent the rest of the day discussing the details of Lily's life and debating what they were going to do when they discovered if she was Charlotte's soulmate or not. Seeing that Charlotte was now 19, finishing up her 2nd year of classes at Lima Community College, she needed to decide if she was going to move to New York next year or stay here so that she could be part of Lily's life.

When it came time to drive to the children's shelter, Charlotte was a bouncy and excited mess. Kurt had to stop her from biting all her nails off, finally threatening to make her wear gloves before she put her hands in her pockets instead.

They each held her hand as they made their way into the shelter, stopping by to say hello to the case worker before making their way back to Lily's room. They paused outside the door for a few seconds before opening it and making their way inside.

It was easy to tell when Charlotte spotted Lily. She'd frozen on the spot, blinking rapidly at the little girl who was working on tying her shoes on the far bed. She'd breathed out Lily's name before nearly running to her, the little girl flinching before seeing who it was and opening her arms at the last second to receive the older girl's hug. Charlotte lifted Lily up into the air and hugged her tightly enough that her lungs had to be restricted slightly. Charlotte fell to her knees next to Lily's bed and started whispering frantically in the girl's ear, "You're going to be my little sister and I'm going to be here for you forever. I know we've just met but I just know I'm going to love you and we're never going to be apart. I promise. We'll be together forever. I'm going to take care of you."

Lily was sobbing into Charlotte's arms, hands clutched tightly to her back. She was nodding frantically, whispering the word 'forever' over and over, both girls shuddering as the claim was made. Kurt clutched Blaine's hands so tightly in his own that he was afraid he was going to break one of his bones. Both men had tears trailing down their cheeks, finally making their way over to take the girls into their own embrace.

There was still a few more hurdle to jump over before they could take Lily home, but they knew for certain that they'd found another little girl to add to their happy but dysfunctional family.


	34. Chapter 34

"This show is so weird, Lils," Charlotte commented, stroking her hand up and down the little girl's arm.

"This show is cool!" Lily said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're just too old to get it." She watched closely as Spiderman leaped across the screen, his face blowing up to epic proportions the more angry he was.

"Spiderman is a classic. Daddy and Papa were your age when he was popular the first time around. I just don't get why he has to be drawn this way. How is it funny that he was turned into a pig?"

"It just is. Now be quiet, this is the good part." She giggled as Spiderman ran around his school, face contorted into that of a pig's. Charlotte just shook her head and pressed her cheek against the top of Lily's head, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of her shampoo, letting it calm her.

When the doorbell rang, she raised her head, spotting a car in their driveway. Her Papa, Kurt, walked to the door, squealing in surprise and throwing himself at the two men standing on their doorstep. When she saw who it was, she smiled, reaching over to the remote and paused the TV show. "Guess, who's here, Lils?"

"It better be someone important for you to stop my show."

"It's your Uncles Sebastian and Chandler."

"Who?" Lily cocked her head to the side, confused.

"You've never met them before. They just moved back from England a few weeks ago. Daddy and Papa have shown you their pictures before." Charlotte stood up and pulled Lily up behind her, making their way over to say hi to the two gentleman.

Kurt was bouncing up and down excitedly in the doorway, talking a mile a minute with his voice nearing glass shattering pitch. "-it's so good that you're back because now we can introduce them and they can have play dates and shopping and musicals and-"

"Babe, take a breath," Her Dad, Blaine, said, reaching out to grip Kurt's shoulders. Kurt instantly relaxed into the embrace. "Hello, guys. Come inside."

Once they were inside, they made their way into the family room where Charlotte and Lily were. Charlotte paused next to her fathers, feeling Lily hide behind her legs. When she went to greet her two Uncles, she noticed a boy about her age standing behind them. He had dark brown hair that fell a few inches past his ears, brushed back from his forehead and clipped in place with a single bobby pin. He wore jeans and a t-shirt which had to be at least one size too small because it was tight across his chest. When he met Charlotte's gaze, he shot her a huge smile. The last time she had seen him, they'd been ten and he'd been awkward and gangly.

Sebastian stopped short when he saw Charlotte and Lily. "Wow, you have really blossomed, little Lotte."

"It's Charlotte, now," she said, eyes never wavering from the boy.

"My apologies. Wow, she's really a looker, Kurt," Sebastian said before bending down to peer at Lily who was still behind Charlotte's legs. "And you must be Lily. What gorgeous green eyes, you have."

She hid herself further behind Charlotte's leg, face pressing tighter into her knees. "She's a little nervous around strangers," Charlotte said. "It's nice to see you both again."

"You too, little... Charlotte," Chandler said, pulling the boy forward. "I'm sure you remember out son, Steven."

"Hello," Steven said, his voice rising with the soft lilt of an English accent. "You're looking particularly lovely today."

Charlotte felt the heat spread through her fingers when she shook hands with Steven, face blushing brightly as they held each other's gaze. "Thank you. You look good, too."

Lily peeked her head out from behind Charlotte's legs, frowning and pulling Charlotte's hand out of Steven's grasp. "You need to come finish my show with me."

Charlotte finally broke her gaze from Steven's, glancing down at her sister. "Honey, we have guests to spend time with. We'll watch your show later."

Lily crinkled her nose. "I don't like them. They smell weird and their voices sound funny."

"Lily!" Kurt said, looking horrified. "That's not how we talk to our guests. They are family."

Sebastian chuckled, bending down to talk to her again. "He does sound funny, doesn't he? A lot of people in England sound like that. The smell's from the day we spent on the airplane."

"Your face looks like Timon from The Lion King," she said, frowning at Sebastian.

Kurt let out a stray giggle before clapping a hand over his mouth and schooling his expression into a frown. "Lily, what has gotten into you? You know better than to say those things about other people, especially our family."

"Kurt, it's okay-" Chandler started.

Kurt shook his head. "No. Lily needs to learn better manners." He turned to look at his youngest daughter. "I need you to apologize to them for what you said."

Lily shook her head. "No. You can't make me like them; you're not my real Daddy." She stormed off to her room.

The room was silent. Sebastian, Chandler, and Steven all looked uncomfortable. Charlotte looked up at her fathers, heart breaking when she saw how devastated they looked. Kurt had tears pouring down his face and Blaine looked like his world was falling apart.

"Would you... excuse us?" Blaine asked before he took Kurt by the hand and they walked toward Lily's room.

* * *

"We've done everything we could to make her feel like this was her home. She knows we're working to adopt her by the end of the year. What did we do wrong?" Kurt sniffled, smiling when Blaine handed him his handkerchief.

"We haven't done anything wrong, Love. There's something else going on, I'm sure of it. Let's just go talk to her." Blaine wiped a few stray tears off Kurt's cheek and kissed him softly before knocking on Lily's bedroom door. "Can we come in, Lilypad?"

When there was no response, they looked at each other before entering. Lily was curled up on the bed, her teddy bear clutched tightly in her arms. When she saw them enter she burst into tears. "Please don't send me back to the home. I didn't mean it, Papa. I love you and Daddy and Charlotte so very much. Please let me stay!"

"Oh, Baby, we wouldn't send you away," Kurt said, rushing over to her and pulling her into his arms. "We love you so much. Charlotte loves you, too."

"She won't anymore. I saw the way she looked at that boy. She's going to leave me for him."

Blaine sat down next to them both. "Lily, we've talked about this before. Charlotte is your soulmate and she's also your sister. She'll always be there for you as you will be for her. At some point, though, both of you are going to meet someone who you're going to fall in love with and someday marry and our family is going to keep growing. None of that means you're going to stop loving each other."

"I just like the way we are right now. I don't want anything to change."

"There's so much good that can happen when things change," Charlotte said, peeking in from outside Lily's door. "You and I never would have met if Daddy and Papa hadn't changed their idea of what family meant and sought you out."

"That's true," Lily said, face brightening up.

"I promised you that, no matter what, I'd be there for you forever. I will never break that promise, Sissy. Not ever."

Lily set down her bear and ran over to Charlotte, hugging her as tight as she could. "Forever?" she whispered.

"Forever."

"Now what do you saw we go out to dinner tonight with your Uncles and Steven?" Kurt asked. "They've been very anxious to meet you. I heard they even bought you presents."

"Presents?" Lily bounced up and barreled out the door.

"Hi, Uncle Sebastian," they heard her call out. "I meant the Timon thing as a nice thing and I have some pretty lotion you can borrow if you want to smell better. I'd like my present now."

Blaine bit his lip, holding back his laughter as best he could.

"So... Steven certainly cleaned up nicely, didn't he?" Kurt said, turning to face his older daughter. "Should you Dad and I let you guys spend some time alone together?"

Charlotte colored. "Papa!"

"What? I'm not blind; you were checking each other out back there."

"God, you are so embarrassing."

"That's our job as your Dads," Blaine said.

"Charlotte." They all looked up and spotted Steven at the door. "I have your present." He pulled out a package from behind his back. Kurt and Blaine shared a look and a smile and left the room.

Sebastian and Chandler were sitting side by side on the couch watching Lily play with her Russian Nesting Doll. When Sebastian saw them, he narrowed his eyes. "Where are the kids?"

"Steven was just giving Charlotte her present. I figured they could use a little time alone to get to know each other better," Kurt responded.

"You do realize what 'getting to know each other' means to teenagers, right? I mean, you haven't completely forgotten what you and Blaine used to do when you got alone time together in each other's bedrooms, have you?"

"They wouldn't- they're just- they're good kids- they-  _Charlotte and Steven, come to the living room this instant!_ " Kurt nearly screeched, Sebastian chuckling loudly.

When Steven and Charlotte joined them a moment later, Kurt tried to ignore the fact that his daughter's lips looked a lot plumper than usual and Steven's hair was no longer as put together as before. Kurt noted the beautiful necklace Charlotte now wore around her neck. He had to admit that Steven had good taste in accessories. He'd just have to make sure to keep a closer eye on him from now on.


End file.
